Lynx
by Krypton X
Summary: Chloe becomes a mutant after the events of Alkali Lake in X2 and Alicia's death in Pariah.
1. Shocks

Chloe sat in the Torch, staring at the "Wall of Weird." She looked at the pictures of Clark she had put there. Finding the Kawatche Caves, the strange symbol that had been burned into the Kent's barn, and all the meteor freaks that Clark had managed to defeat and send to Belle Reve. She shook her head in wonder. She thought to herself, _All of this time, all Clark's disappearances, and his pathetic excuses, all of it._ She inhales deeply.

Chloe jumps a bit when Lois walks into the office.

Lois tells, "I'm headed back to school. I have an eight o'clock class tomorrow."

Slightly startled, Chloe stands up and starts putting papers in her bag.

She asks, "Looking for clues about Tim's ability? Things we should've seen before blaming Alicia?"

Chloe answers, "I think maybe I've seen too much already. I've spent the last four years ferreting out meteor freaks, trying to expose them. I never should've started this wall."

"Chloe, you're a reporter. You investigate and expose. That's who you are."

"Yeah, well, then I guess sometimes it sucks being me." She pauses. "Lois, if you found out something, something someone didn't want you to know about them, would you tell them?"

"That depends. Is that person someone you care about?"

"Yeah."

"And does keeping the secret hurt anyone?"

Chloe thinks about it.

She shakes her head, "No."

"Then my answer is no. If I really cared about that person, I wouldn't tell them that I knew. But I would go out of my way to be supportive of them so that hopefully, one day, they would be comfortable enough to tell me themselves."

"No offense, Lois, but that's the last thing I expected to hear from you."

"I've learned the hard way that people keep secrets for a reason, even from the people they're closest to." Chloe looks thoughtful and sad. "Chloe, is there something you want to tell me? Are you the one with the secret?"

"No. No, it's not me."

"Okay. I'll see you in a couple of weeks or so."

"Yeah."

"I'm sure whoever it is that you're talking about will tell you when they're ready."

Chloe nods. "Thanks."

They hug.

"Bye."

"Bye. Have a safe drive home."

"Okay."

Lois leaves the Torch. Chloe turns back to the Wall of Weird and focuses on a section that has several articles featuring Clark.

Chloe asks out loud,"Clark. Why didn't you just tell me?" She thinks for a moment. Deciding, she grabbed her keys and her backpack. She walked out to her car and headed for the Kent farm.

Xavier sat in the middle of the fake Cerebro. A little girl stood a few feet behind him.

The girl spoke, "Come on, Professor. Find them all, find all the mutants"

Xavier listened to her. He focused his power and began to search for all the mutants.

"Find them. Concentrate harder. Find them, and kill them."

Chloe pulled up to the farm. She stepped out of the car. She saw the light on in the barn. She hesitates for a moment, and then she determinedly walks into the loft. She looks around, and sees Clark sitting up on the couch. She inhales and bravely walks up the stairs. Clark doesn't look back but says over his shoulder, "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry, but I just want to be alone right now."

Chloe swallowed and spoke, "Clark, its Chloe."

Clark turned around quickly. "Chloe. I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you. I not trying to be rude, but I don't want company right now."

Chloe nodded, "I can understand that. I know how secrets can push people away. I know it doesn't change anything, but I think maybe I could have trusted your judgment about Alicia sooner. Maybe things would have out differently." She mentally prepared herself. "Clark, we need to talk."

Clark looked at her concerned, "Talk about what?" he asked.

Chloe looked Clark in the eye. "We need to talk about you."

Clark looked at her for a moment. Fearing what she meant, he tried to evade her, saying, "I… I don't know what you mean. It's late, maybe you should get home."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Clark, I know you're scared, but you can trust me. I have some secrets too. I told you one of mine, how come you don't have enough bravery to tell me that you are a meteor mutant."

Clark reflexively laughed out loud, taking Chloe by surprise. He answered, "Chloe, I'm not a meteor freak." Chloe said, "You don't need to pretend about it anymore. I don't care about it. I know that you are super strong and super fast."

Clark gulped and denied it again. Sighing, she blurts out, "Clark, I saw you catch Alicia's car with your bare hands last night." Clark just stares back at her for a moment. Chloe continues, "Clark, I swear I will never, never tell anyone about this."

Suddenly, Chloe started looking around the loft. Clark looked to her and asked, "Chloe, is something wrong?"

Chloe turned to him and asked him, "Clark, is it me or did it just get really cold in here?"

Clark opened his mouth to answer when Chloe's body suddenly stiffened and she screamed out loud.

Clark forgot about their conversation and speeds over to her spasming body, and lowered her to the floor. Chloe's face and arms had gone completely pale as if her body was not getting any oxygen. As he watches, her hair starts growing longer. Confused, he x-rays her. He sees her skeleton and her muscles start growing thicker, while her blood is circulating way too fast to be normal. Not wanting to harm her, he gently picked her up and slowly started walking toward the house.

Jonathon and Martha came running in the barn. They looked up and saw Clark carrying a trembling Chloe down the loft stairs. Worried, Martha asked, "Clark, what happened to her?"

Clark shook his head as he set her down on the floor again, "I don't know what happened; we were talking and she just started seizing for no reason."

Chloe's body stiffened abruptly and then went limp. Clark quickly x-rayed her, and was relieved when he saw that she was still breathing. "She's ok, guys."

They were all surprised at what happened next. Chloe's eyes shot open. Instead of her normal hazel color, they were a dull orange and now looked like the eyes of a cat. She screams in shock, and everyone is shocked as it gradually turns to a low growl. Then her arm shots up, connecting with Clark's jaw. Martha and Jonathon's eyes both widened in shock and surprise when Clark is knocked back a few feet, falling over the stair railing. They looked down at Chloe questionly. She just looked at her hand and seemed to be just as shocked as they were.

Clark slowly stood up, getting his bearings. He felt his jaw and winced at the pain he felt. He looked at Chloe and he sarcastically asked, "Are you feeling better?"

Jonathon gave Clark a warning look, and said, "Clark, not now."

Chloe looked at Clark for a minute. She then commented, "I don't know how, but I can feel the amount of power that you have. It is almost overwhelming."

Jonathon and Martha looked at Chloe, both scared. They ask, "What powers?" Chloe turned to them and said, "Please, you don't need to be so scared. Clark is my friend, and you are both like family to me."

The Kent's all stared at her, confused. Chloe looked to Jonathon and Martha and suddenly looks horrified. She looked at Clark and yelled, "Clark, it's happening to them too!"

Martha asked, "What's happening to us?" She suddenly felt a pounding headache and extreme nausea. She falls to her knees and she absently wonders if this is how Clark feels around Kryptonite.

Clark and Chloe are both scared, not knowing what to do or who to get so they can help. They run over to hold them still. After a minute, they relax when the Kent's stop shaking and slowly get to their feet. Clark helps them up and checks to see if they are all right.

Chloe stands back until she notices something unusual. She looks between Clark and his parents. She blurts out, "Clark isn't human, is he?"

They all stop and turn to her. Jonathon looks at her, upset. He asks her, "How do know that?"

Chloe stutters, "I, I don't know. He just smells different from you two do."

Clark steps forward in front of his parents. "Chloe, how do you know about that and about my powers?"

Jonathon yells, "She knows about your powers!"

Unconsciously, Chloe steps up to them, growling. "Last night, I saw Cark catch Alicia's car like a basketball. I then saw him run away faster than anyone could see. I do not like being yelled at for being lied to about my best friend for all this time." Jonathon steps backs, somewhat scared of her statement.

Clark reaches for her shoulder to calm her down. Lightning fast, she brings her arm up and twists his arm behind his back. Clark is shocked at her speed and that he can't get out of her grip. He asks her, "Did you know you as strong as I am?"

Chloe realizes what she did, and quickly lets go. "Clark, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. And another thing, how _am _I as strong as you?" She put her hands on her head and ran her fingers through her newly long hair. She felt it and asked, "Why is my hair so long now?"

She ran to a nearby mirror and looked at herself. She saw her hair and eyes. She just stood there for a minute. Everyone flinched when she suddenly drove her fist though the glass. Clark ran up to help her. He stopped when she slowly turned to him. She looked like she was totally terrified. She slowly brought her fist up so they everyone could see it. Clark saw her look and asked, "Chloe, what's wrong?"

She looked at him. She managed to say, "Clark, I don't feel it."

He answered her, "Well, you are probably in shock."

"No! I may be in shock, but I should still feel some pain. But I feel nothing, not now, or when I hit the mirror."

They looked at her hand. Their surprise grew when they saw the shards of glass slowly getting pushed up out of her skin. They stood there in awe as the cuts in her hand slowly seal themselves and totally disappear.

Chloe looks at the broken mirror. She whispers, "I think I'm a meteor freak."


	2. Finding Answers

**Chapter 2**

**FINDING ANSWERS**

Xavier went over the recent events in his head. He tried to understand why Stryker had tried to kill every mutant on Earth. Even if he succeeded, the X gene would not be totally gone. It would eventually manifest itself in future generations. Concerned, he went to Cerebro. He needed to know who else know about the plans that Stryker had put in play.

He was moving down the hall when Logan turned a corner and bumped into his chair. Logan reached for the chair to keep it still. "Sorry, X. I wasn't paying attention."

Xavier shook his head. He replied, "Don't worry about it. All of us are bound to be out for a few days. We all need some time to put recent events behind us."

Logan sighed. "After this week we could all use some time to unwind."

Xavier nodded. "I was just heading to Cerebro. I am hoping to find some answers about what other plans Stryker had going. I think I could help you find more answers to your past as well."

Logan shrugged. "Why not? We could find out if Stryker messed with any more healing mutants."

Xavier sighed. "I can't find anyone else who knew about Alkali Lake or what Stryker was doing."

Logan asked, "What about any new mutants? Can you find out where any of them are? Maybe you should look for any healers like me."

"I can try."

Xavier changed his focus to mutants. His mind went out over the planet. He detected a healer. He focused on the reading.

Chloe was pacing around the barn. Jonathon and Martha had gone into town to see what had happened. Clark was watching her nervously, trying to get her to calm down.

"Chloe, you need to relax. We will get through this."

Chloe whirled toward Clark, causing him to jump back a little. "That's easy for you to say, Clark; you grew into your powers, getting one at a time. Me, I get exposed to a meteor rock, and wham! I suddenly have super strength, I heal faster than normal, and I can smell people and how much power they have."

Clark acknowledged, "Ok, you have a point. But I don't think you are a meteor freak."

Chloe gaped at him, "Well, can you explain how I suddenly got these powers?"

Clark hesitantly asked, "You know about the mutants they've mentioned on the news, right?"

Chloe stared at him for a minute, and then she gave a nervous laugh. "You think that I am a mutant?"

Clark reasoned, "Well, think about it. Last night on the news, they had a report from Boston mentioning a man getting shot in the head and then walking away only 5 minutes later. I would guess he had similar powers to you."

Chloe sat down on the stairs. She tried to find an argument, but she couldn't come up with one.

Clark continued. "I also heard about some military action against an alleged mutant training facility in New York city. Maybe we could go and check it out. I could leave my parents a note and we could be back here in a few hours." He held his hand out to her. He added, "By the way, I'm an alien. That's probably why I smell different than mom and dad."

She asked, "Clark, what do the meteor rocks do to you?"

Clark swallowed. "The green ones make me sick and can hurt me. The red ones act like a drug, and the black ones split people in two, one good, and one bad."

Chloe looked shocked. "Wow. That is a lot to wrap your head around. You might not like this idea, but maybe should we should bring some with us."

"No, Chloe, the meteors are dangerous, especially to me."

"Clark, these people might not trust us. Giving a demonstration like the rocks could gain their trust. I will hold on to them until we earn each other's trust. I won't hurt you, I swear."

Clark thought for a minute, and then he agreed.

Chloe nodded. "Ok, where can we find some rocks?"

Clark pointed to the dresser in the loft. "I keep one over there."

Chloe looked confused, "You keep something that can hurt up here?'

"We need it if I'm ever dosed with red kryptonite again."

"What do you mean, again?"

Clark looked uncomfortable. He answered, "The class rings are all red K."

Chloe suddenly understood. "OH. So that's what happened in school."

"And why I ran to Metropolis, and why I impulsively married Alicia last week."

Chloe got a confused look. "What other times were you affected?"

Nervously, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know why, but I keep seeing us kissing in the Talon."

Clark looked horrified and embarrassed. "I don't remember that."

Chloe thought for a moment. She then asked, "Can you fly?" She then looked excited, and yelled, "You actually told me and not Lana. But I can't believe that I acted like that. Hey, how long had Pete known before me?"

He answered, "He knew for about a year. I know you have questions, but do you want to go to New York?"

Chloe answered, "Yes, I do. I want to go the 'Clark Kent Express,' if it's possible."

Clark smiled as she grabbed the lead box with the kryptonite in it. He picked her up. He looked down at her and said, "Ask me again."

Chloe smiled and asked, "Can you fly, Clark Kent?"

Clark looked up at the sky. He answered, "I can now," and jumped out the loft window and shot skyward toward New York.

Xavier relaxed. He turned to face Logan. He said, "Let's go get ready. We have guests coming."


	3. First Meetings

**Chapter Three**

Logan followed behind the Professor as they made their way up to the school area of the mansion. As the doors opened to the main hall, Logan's hearing picked up what sounded like an incoming airplane. Confused, he walked to door and looked outside. He looked around the area and looking at the sky, saw something approaching them too fast to be seen clearly. Whatever it was, it slowed down and circled around to the rear of the mansion.

Clark and Chloe saw the mansion, and Clark slowed down to prevent any damage to the magnificent building. They landed and looked around at the area. Chloe walked over to the building, glancing into a broken window, and noticing the damage caused by the recent invasion force. Turning to Clark, she commented, "Clark, look at this place. It looks a war tore through here. I wonder what happened."

Clark shrugged, "Well, if it's a mutant training facility, the mutants were probably defending it."

Chloe suddenly looked grossed out, "It looks like they succeeded." She pointed inside the hallway to the dozen bodies lying on the floor and at the broken wall nearby. She swallowed. "I don't want to know what made that hole."

She turned to the side for a moment and looked back at seeing a short red haired teenaged girl standing and staring at her and Clark. She stood up and asked, "Do you go here?"

Chloe stared walking toward her. Suddenly terrified, the girl opened her mouth and screamed. Chloe and Clark both covered their ears in pain.

Logan heard Siryn scream and started toward the back of the mansion.

For Clark, it was loud but more bearable. Chloe, on the other hand, couldn't stand it. Even covering her ears did not help. She fell to her knees, unable to move or think. She started feeling sick, dizzy, and her body was on fire. She finally passed out.

Clark saw Chloe collapse to the ground. He quickly speed to the girl and covered her mouth to stop her from screaming. He quickly said, "We are not going to hurt you. We need to see the person who runs this place. I'm going to let you go, now, ok?"

The girl nodded. Clark removed his hand and stood back from her. The girl nervously asked, "Why do you want the Professor for?"

Clark walked to Chloe. He bent to see if she was alright. "I think that my friend here is a mutant. We were trying to talk to someone here and maybe find some answers."

"I'm sorry; I thought you were going to kidnap us again."

Clark asked, "What do you mean? What happened here?"

The girl started to answer. She was cut off by what sounded like a battle scream. Clark turned toward the window and saw a man in a white t-shirt leap toward him. What was scarier were the 3 nine inch claws sticking out of the man's hands. Clark stepped back to avoid them. The man swung the claws at him and Clark raised his arm to catch the swing.

Logan's anger turned to shock and confusion as his claws hit the man's arm. He pulled his hand back in pain. Groaning, he questioned, "What are you? I think I just hit a steel beam. What are you, kid?"

Clark swallowed. He tried to think of an answer when a voice broke the silence. "Mr. Kent, I see you have been introduced to Logan. Don't take it personally, but he is protective of the students, even more so than me."

Clark cautiously asked, "How do you know my name?"

He replied,"Forgive my intrusion, but I heard the discussion that you had with Miss Sullivan. I know about her gifts and the secret that your parents and she now share."

Clark backed up in fear. He stammered, "I… I don't know what you mean. We don't have a secret."

Xavier sighed. He turned to Siryn and said, "Siryn, why don't go inside and assist Bobby and Marie with the upstairs cleaning. Logan and I need to speak with Clark privately."

Siryn nodded and ran inside the house. Logan turned to Xavier and asked, "X, what is going on, and why does hitting this kid hurt so much?" He looked toward Chloe. Bending down, he picked up a box that she held in her hand. He opened it and saw a red ring inside. Holding the ring up, he asked Clark, "And what's with the souvenir?"

Clark quickly told him, "Please be careful with that."

Logan held up his hands. "Don't worry, kid. Here, you can have it." Logan tossed the ring over to Clark.

Clark instinctively reached out his hand and caught it. He looked down in fear. Logan's defenses went up when the veins in Clark's hand turned red. He looked up to his face and his heart froze when the recently nervous kid's eyes glowed red and his face took on a look of total confidence. He exhaled deeply and put on a cold smile. He looked at Logan and taunted, "You only take one swing at me? Come on, I know you can do better than that."


	4. Kal vs Logan

Xavier went to check on Chloe while Clark started to antagonize Logan. He focused his power and slowly began to wake her up.

Clark slipped the ring onto his finger, enjoying the rush the stone gave him. He looked up at Logan. He taunted again, "Come on, take your best shot."

Logan answered, "Look, kid, I am not going to fight…"

Clark suddenly sped forward and knocked Logan back a few feet with a hand to his chest. He gasped at the pain the impact caused. Not even Sabretooth could hit that hard. He glanced at the kid in fear and knew if the kid kept at it, he would have little chance of surviving. Clark stalked over to Logan and picked him by the back of his shirt. Logan growled and drove his elbow up at Clark's chin. The impact sent pain shooting up his arm and shoulder. He glanced at Clark in fear and amazement. Clark smiled coldly and retorted, "So you want to fight dirty? That's fine by me." Logan paled as Clark grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him clean off the ground. Logan clawed at the iron grip Clark had on him. He started blacking out when Clark savagely threw him to the ground. He hit the ground and tried to stand up.

Xavier shouted, "Mr. Kent, this isn't you. Take off that ring and calm down." He responded, "The name is Kal and I don't take orders from you." Logan slowly rose to his knees and glanced up at Kal. He glared and Kal just laughed. "I gotta say, you definitely have a lot of courage. Most people would run away but you haven't. Of course, you can barely stand, so that couldn't run if you tried." Logan glared up at Kal. He scoffed and kneeled next to him. He grabbed Logan's hair and moved his head to face him. "Even with your powers, you are pathetic." He looked up and x-rayed the house. He saw a familiar face and sneered. "I'm going to pay a friend a visit. I 'll even scare his little girlfriend." Logan forced out, "You leave her alone." Kal smirked and replied; "Now she will get more treatment than Eric."

Kal saw the fear in Logan's eyes and smiled. "Don't tell me you're scared. Come on, a tough guy like you? Why would you need to be afraid of me?" He paused, and then said, "Oh, right. You're scared because I can do this." Clark grabbed Logan by the arms, rose up quickly and tossed him through an upper window, where Siryn had just joined Bobby and Marie.

Xavier looked over as Clark sped up to the room. He quickly turned to Chloe and jolted her awake. He said quickly, "You have to make him stop, or he could hurt Logan or the students." She looked confused and asked, "Why would Clark hurt them?" Xavier answered, "Logan found a red ring…" Chloe interrupted, "Don't tell me he gave it to Clark." Xavier reluctantly nodded. Chloe groaned and reached in her purse. She pulled out the lead box and looked at it nervously. She exhaled and opened the box. Xavier looked curiously at the rock. "What is that?" Chloe glanced at him and replied, "Let's just say this is Clark's red light." She looked at Xavier and asked, "Where did he go?" He pointed at the hole in the mansion. She muttered to herself, "Let's see how strong my legs are." She started running and leapt as hard as she could and cleared the broken window.

Marie screamed as Logan crashed through the window. Logan flew across the room and hit the wall. He slumped to the floor, knocked out. Bobby turned to the door when he heard something coming to the room. He blinked in surprise when a tall kid suddenly appeared at the door.

Clark zipped into the room and stopped. He was surprised at the person he saw standing in front in him. Looking in the room, he saw Siryn. He ran over and knocked her out before she could scream. "Can't have you scream anymore, kid. The rest of you, don't move." Thinking fast, Bobby raised his hand and covered the intruder head to toe in solid ice. His heart sank when the kid just stepped forward with no resistance. Marie ran up to him and placed her hand on his face. She and Bobby grew shocked when he didn't even flinch. Kal smirked and said, "Sorry, honey. You are pretty but you're not my type. Kal faced Bobby and asked, "So, Eric, did Belle Reeve decide to let you out or did you escape somehow? And when did you get powers of your own?"

Shocked and terrified, Bobby started to answer when he saw a girl jump through the room window. He asked, "Who are you people? What do you want?"

Chloe answered, "I'm a mutant. I needed to see the professor. Unfortunately, Clark here got a little out of control. Clark, you need to take the ring off and give it to me, before you hurt any more people. I know this isn't you."

Clark scoffed, "Take it off? Why should I? This makes me deal with things better. I can be myself, not have to hide anything or lie to people."

Chloe prepared herself for the backlash from her next question. She slowly opened the box lid and asked, "You mean to hide from your part in Alicia's death?" Clark's eyes narrowed in anger. He growled, "MY PART! What about the rest of you? I kept telling you she didn't do and you never once believed me!"

Goading him on, she moved closer and retorted, "Well, why should we have? She tried to kill you and Lana last year and was then committed. Plus, she didn't do anything to prove herself this time around. Besides, you are the one who brought all the meteor rocks to Smallville to begin with."

Clark lunged toward Chloe in anger. Chloe braced herself and grabbed the green stone. She swung her fist at Clark, hitting him square in the jaw and knocking him out cold. She put the stone away and quickly bent down to take the ring off. She pried it off his hand and quickly put it in the box. She then looked around at the people in the room. She saw that Logan was now awake and slowly getting to his feet. She looked to the door and saw Xavier in the doorway with a man and a woman standing behind him. Chloe gulped and commented, "I guess I have some explaining to do."


	5. Giving Answers

Chloe turned to Xavier and pleaded, "Help me. This is some kind of school; do you have some kind of nurse's office? I need to get him there"

Logan slowly stood and yelled, "No, you need to answer some questions first. What is he, and why did he attack me!"

Chloe sarcastically shots back, "Hi, I'm Chloe Sullivan, nice to meet you, too." Both she and Logan turned to glare at the man with the red sunglasses when he chuckles a little. Frustrated, Chloe explained, "That red ring you gave him pretty much changes his personality. He becomes unpredictable and reckless."

Logan asked again, "What is he? How did I not make a mark with my claws but you can drop him with a green rock?"

Chloe sat in front of Clark, trying to determine what to do. She looked up to Xavier and the other people. She took a deep breath, calming herself down. She said, "I don't know how much I can tell you; this secret is Clarks, not mine. If you want to learn his secret, you have to ask him yourself. I can tell you that he does have abilities." She looked at Logan, "You clearly know about his strength and speed."

Logan shot back, "Not to mention hitting him feels like running into a semi."

Chloe looked guilty. She answered, "Well, I can say he will be apologizing to you and everyone here as soon as he wakes up. He is not normally like this."

"Forgive me for not taking your word on that."

Ororo warned, "Logan, that's not necessary."

"Storm, he attacked me for no reason. Only a violent person attacks for no reason."

Chloe jumped up and got up in Logan's face. "Clark is not violent. He was not in control of his actions."

Logan glared back at her. "He looked in control from what I saw and..."

Chloe growled silencing Logan. "You don't know him. You can stand here and honestly tell me you have never hurt someone by accident."

Logan suddenly lashed out and caught Chloe in the jaw. Her head snapped to the side and she backed away a few feet. Xavier, Scott and Storm all yelled in shock. Storm ran over to check on Chloe while Scott pushed Logan against the wall.

Chloe waved Storm away. She popped her neck and tested her jaw. Smirking, she commented, "Not feeling any pain is going to really pay off." She turned to Logan and walked up to him. She addressed Scott, "You can let go of him." Turning to Logan, she calmly asked, "Who did you hurt? I would guess it was someone close to you, judging by your reaction."

Logan swallowed. He looked to her, and saw no anger or accusations in her face. He replied, "I accidentally stabbed the girl." He indicated Rogue. "Fortunately for her, she was able to take my power to heal and she survived. If I hadn't stabbed her,"

Chloe stopped him, "But you did. But things worked out, and today she must trust you. She was terrified after seeing Clark throw you around like he did. She trusts you, even more than you know."

Logan looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"It's part of my mutation; I can smell the senses people are giving off. With her, it was total respect and admiration. It's the same toward everyone in this room. With me and Clark, however, she currently feels resentment and anger. Not very surprising, really, considering how Clark recently attacked people she cares for and trusts." She turns her head to face Rogue and continues. "I hope that we somehow get past the bad first impression you've gotten."

Everyone follows her gaze to Rogue and Iceman who are standing in the doorway. She looks scared of Chloe. She asks Chloe, "Like Logan asked, how is your friend so strong? No other mutant we've met is that powerful. What is he?"

"I can't tell you that; I don't have the right to reveal his secret." She sniffed the air and turned to Clark. She warned her, "I suggest you and your boyfriend move back and give him some room."

Rogue and Bobby moved over to Logan and waited. Chloe walked to where Clark could see her. Everyone jumped when Clark shot up and gasped for air. He looked around the room wildly and eventually focused on Chloe. She smiled and warmly greeted, "Welcome back to the land of the living, Clark. Our new friends are extremely curious about you. They have a few questions."

Clark looked around and focused on Logan. Confused, he questioned, "How are you standing after I hit you and threw you through a window? You should be dead or injured."

"Well, you gave me more fight than Sabretooth ever did. Anyone who do that has some bit of respect from me. Just don't give any reason to lose that and you and I will get along fine."

Clark shook his head, "Still, I was out line for attacking you." He turned to Chloe and looked upset. "And you were out of line for what you said. I may have been on red k but I wouldn't tolerate that even if I wasn't."

Chloe lowered her head, "I know, Clark. I didn't mean it, but I still shouldn't have been that rude. You loved her and I disrespected both of you by saying it. I just needed to make you anger to get closer to me."

Clark smiled, "So you could sucker punch me? I suppose I did deserve some pummeling. I mean, you won't get another chance to do it again."

Chloe grinned, "Sure, I will. You need to be kept in line, and I am now the only one who can do that."

Logan grunted in amusement. He whispered to Storm, "I think someone wants to be more than just friends." Chloe looked at him, looking horrified. Logan raised an eyebrow and commented, "So, you hear really well." She assessed him and asked, "You need to mind your own business, fur ball.

Logan raised his eyebrows and walked forward, "Fur ball? Do you know what I can do?"

Not missing a beat, she answered, "You can heal fast like me, have enhanced senses; not as good as mine and you have some kind of metal grafted to your bones." She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You couldn't handle me in a fight."

Logan smirked, "That almost sounds like a challenge. Show me what you got."

Chloe looks at Clark and then to Xavier. She mentally asked him, _Should I? The offer is so tempting._

Smiling, Xavier shook his head. _No, Logan doesn't need to be thrown around anymore today. Let's focus on Clark for now, shall we?_

She nodded. She braced herself for Clark's reaction. She asked him, "Clark, don't freak out on me, but our friends would like you to tell them your secret."

Clark looked panicked. "Chloe, they can't know my secret; I don't know them and if they would turn me in or not."

Scott spoke up, "Kid, whatever secrets you have, you can trust us. We're all scared of being turned in to the police."

Clark looked at him and replied, "In this case, the police are the least of my problems. If the government found out what I am and that I even existed…" he trails off as he realizes his mistake. Storm steps forward and questions, "What do you mean by 'what you are'?"

Clark swallows. He looks to Chloe. For only him to hear, she whispers, "Just trust them, Clark. I am right here with you."

Clark lets out a breath he had been holding. He looked at the mutants and made up his mind. "It is extremely important that this is kept a secret. Only a few people know this, and all of them have been put in danger by knowing it." He sighed. "I'm not exactly from around here."

Bobby asked, "You mean New York?"

He shook his head. "I mean not from this planet. I came from a planet named Krypton."

Everyone in the room looked stunned. Logan walked up to Clark, who nervously stepped back a little. Logan sniffed the air around him. He said, "You smell like a regular person. How do you explain that?"

Clark shrugged, "The only place I've lived is here on Earth."

"What about those rocks your friend brought with her? What are they?"

He frowned. "They are pieces of the planet that followed my ship here to Earth."

Rogue suddenly blurted out, "Smallville, Kansas. In 1989 the town was hit by a meteor shower. About 100 people were…"she trailed off as she noticed Clark suddenly looked ashamed and guilty.

Clark lowered his head and finished for her, "They were killed." He suddenly turned to the door and sped out before anyone could stop him. Chloe shouted, "Clark, wait." She shot Rogue an upset look, then she ran to the door. "Clark, she didn't know!" She hung her head and sighed.

Storm asked, "Miss Sullivan, why is he so upset? What happened?"

Chloe turned to her and said, "Please, just call me Chloe." She explained, "Clark came to Smallville during the meteor shower. In 5th grade, he met a girl he got a crush on. Her name is Lana Lang. A few years ago, he learned what he is." She took a breath, "He also found out that one of the meteors killed her parents. I guess he still blames himself."

Scott asked, "Why would he do that? He was just kid, he couldn't have known they would die."

Chloe shrugged, "I don't know. I guess he needed to deal with his feelings."

Chloe jumped when Clark suddenly appeared in front of her. Startled, she swung her arm and punched him in the jaw. She gasped, "Crap! Clark, I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to do that. Are you ok?"

Clark shook his head to clear his senses. "Chloe, you have got to stop hitting me."

Chloe tilted her head, "Keep talking, you'll give me a reason to smack you around again. But, more importantly, why do you blame yourself for her parent's death?"

Clark answered, "It's not just her parents. How many people have because of the meteor rocks and how many meteor freaks have attacked and killed people in Smallville? You almost died from exposure to kryptonite gas. I am partially to blame for all the problems in Smallville."

Chloe looked into Clark's eyes and replied, "Clark, you are not responsible for the meteor freaks. If you hadn't come down in your ship, the rocks would still have crashed in Smallville. You coming with them made a hero that was able to prevent them from doing worse damage or running rampant. I mean, Tina would have gotten away with robbery and murder. And closer to home, your parents would not have a son they deeply love. Also, if you hadn't been there, Ian would have thrown me and Lana off that dam."

Clark looked surprised. "I never thought of that."

She smiled, "That's why I'm here, to always prove you wrong." They both laughed.

Xavier spoke up, "Mr. Kent, I am aware of your powers and weaknesses. It was brave of you to risk your safety to gain our trust." He glanced at Logan. "However, it seems some here still don't feel you are trustworthy. If you would be willing, a demonstration might be sufficient proof."

Clark nodded, looking scared. He picked up the box and gave it to Chloe. Chloe looked terrified and shook her head. "Clark, no, I don't to hurt you." He asked gently, "Just don't do it for too long, please."

Chloe shoot Logan a withering glare. Everyone waited anxiously to see what happened. Chloe looked sadly at Clark. He nodded. "Clark, I'm sorry." She reluctantly opened the lid to the box and took out the deadly mineral. She held it to Clark. Everyone gasped in shock as the rock began glowing and Clark started groaning in pain. He tried to back up but only tripped and fell on his back. Chloe explained, "I don't know exactly why, but the rock is some kind of poison for him. The closer it gets, the worse the effect becomes." She lowered the rock closer to Clark and swallowed her guilt as he started to shake uncontrollably and began to have trouble breathing. Chloe quickly backed away and pushed the rock back into the lead box. Clark gasped for air and slowly started feeling better.

She turned to Logan and let loose with a fist to his stomach. She glared at him and growled, "Is that enough to prove that he can be trusted!" She slammed the box down on a desk and stormed out of the room. Logan looked uncomfortable as every one in the room looked at him. He slowly turned and walked out of the room.


	6. Reunions

Chloe stormed through the hallway of the mansion. She was extremely mad at Logan; but she knew that if she did anything, she would regret it when she calmed down later. She walked past a wall and suddenly stopped. She focused her new hearing and was horrified to hear the sound of explosions and people fighting. She faced the wall and tried to find way in. When she didn't find anything, she put her fist through the wall and tore the wall open. She saw something that looked like a secret passage. She walked into the passage and followed her ears to the sounds. She came to a large round door with an x on it. She saw a control on the left side and tried the controls until the door opened. She became confused when she walked into what looked like Central Park. She turned around to the door as it slid closed. She raised her eyebrows in confusion when the door disappeared and left behind a large wall. She looked back and heard the sound of the super speed. She sniffed around and smelled someone who seemed familiar. She walked forward to see who it was. She jumped when a short red head kid appeared in front of her. She looked at him and said, "Aren't you the kid who Clark brought to the Talon a couple months ago? Your name is Bart, right?"

The kid grinned and joked, "Glad to see you remember me. So, you heard I was here and came for a second chance?"

Chloe arched her eyebrows and retorted, "I remember you now. I said no then and the answer is still no."

The kid shrugged. "It's your loss. So, is Clark here to practice his powers?"

She started to answer but was interrupted by Bart suddenly grabbing her arms and speeding away from an incoming spray of bullets. Chloe shouted, "Why are we being shoot at! And who is shooting?"

Bart explained, "This is the Danger Room; it trains mutants to make better use of their abilities. For me, I am increasing the speed I have to avoid incoming attacks."

Chloe asked, "So you have speed like Clark does?"

He laughed, "That slowpoke could never catch up with me. So, let's see what powers you have, or are you not a mutant?"

She smirked and pushed herself up and spun around to face their attackers. She started walking toward them. One pulled a pistol and shot her three times in the stomach. The attacker paled when she just kept coming without any pause. Chloe got in his face and scolded, "That's no way to treat a lady, is it?" Se grabbed him by the front of his shirt and tossed him aside. He landed hard, crashing into an empty park bench. She turned to

Bart. "Is that the best this thing can do? That was pathetic. I've faced people who could do worse than that."

Bart replied, "I'll be right back. I'll increase the program difficulty and make your program more adaptable to your powers. What are they, anyway?"

Chloe recited, "Healing, super strength, enhanced senses, and I don't feel any pain."

Bart looked impressed. "So, you give Logan any problems yet?"

Chloe glared at him, "Don't get me started right now."

Bart gulped and nodded. He ran to the controls and made the adjustments. Chloe asked, "Is there some kind of precaution parameter?" He nodded. "Turn it off."

Bart looked shocked. She shot him a look, saying 'Just do it.'

Bart reluctantly turned the safety off.

Xavier glanced up quickly when alarms went off. Scott ran to a computer and turned it off. He reported, "Someone deactivated the safety protocol in the Danger Room. Whoever is in there is going to get themselves injured."

Storm gasped, "Bart is in there!"

Clark questioned, "Bart? You don't mean Bart Allen, do you?"

She nodded. Clark asked, "Where is this Danger Room?"

"It's down the hall and on the other side of the wall."

Clark nodded and sped to the room. He x-rayed it and saw Chloe surrounded by half a dozen men. All had some kind of knife or sword and some would occasionally get a shot in at her. He grabbed the door and forcefully opened it. He saw one man come up behind Chloe with a dagger. He focused his vision and blasted the blade away with a burst of heat vision. He sped up and threw the man thirty feet away. Chloe turned to him. She retorted, "Good to see you feeling better, Clark. Did you come to save me again?"

Clark responded, "I'm here to see what you are doing. The computer indicated that the precautions were turned off. You could have been injured or killed. What were you thinking?"

Chloe scowled at him. "Clark, I don't need to be watched over all the time. Especially now, I can defend myself fine now. I can handle myself."

"You could always handle yourself; I just don't want to see you get hurt."

She relaxed and said, "I know, Clark. You protect people; you always have. But as we have seen recently, some people have their own defenses. They help each other, but clearly, some people can make it on their own."

Logan suddenly ran into the room. Concerned, he asked, "Is anyone hurt?"

Chloe laughed. "You two are so alike it's unbelievable."

Clark and Logan both protest, "We are not alike." They both look at each other, then at

Chloe; is doubled over laughing.

Bart speeds up to Clark. He mocks, "So, Clark, you finally found me. What took you so long?"

Logan looks confused, "You two know each other?"

Clark nodded, "He came to Smallville a few weeks back. Chloe glanced at Clark. "Although I didn't know that he had any powers. I thought he was just a kid who was totally hung up on himself."

Bart objected, "I am not hung up on myself. I just…worry about myself first."

Chloe arched her eyebrow at his response. Bart just scoffed and ignored her. He asked, "So, if you don't feel pain, what happens if Logan were to stab you somewhere?"

Logan looked shocked, "You don't feel any pain? Are you sure?"

Chloe walked up to him and answered, "Go ahead and see for yourself." She held her arm up in front of Logan. He looked at her and then to Xavier. Xavier nodded. Logan swallowed and said, "This isn't personal." She nodded. Logan grimaced as he drew his claws and drove them into her left forearm. Everyone looked completely surprised when Chloe gave no reaction to the impact. Logan was even more surprised when Chloe grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand out, slicing three parallel gashes in her arm. Everyone watched in amazement as the gashes quickly healed up leaving no noticeable scars.


	7. Arrangements

Everyone looked shocked at the demonstration. Logan and Scott looked awestruck. Clark had a look of anger and surprise on his face. Bart and Storm just looked blankly at Chloe. After a moment, Xavier broke the uncomfortable silence, "Scott, would you go set up a room for Ms. Sullivan? I'm sure that she needs some rest. Mr. Kent, you are welcome to stay for the night."

Clark answered, "That's not necessary. I can get Chloe back home tonight."

Chloe argued, "Clark, this might be good for me. I need help with this and these people can do that."

"But how are we going to explain you suddenly being gone? That is going to attract unneeded attention, especially from Lex."

"Well, maybe we can prevent that." She turned to Xavier and asked, "Professor, this place is a school, right?" He nodded. She glanced at Clark. "Well, I recently decided to apply for a student exchange program and this one accepted me."

Xavier smiled and nodded, "I can personal handle the arrangements to bring you here. You can return home, and you can gather some belongings and tie up loose ends." He glanced at Clark and continued, "Mr. Kent, I can arrange the same for you if you feel ok with it."

Clark thought for a minute. Finally, he nodded. "I think I will. I think I can practice with my powers." He looked between Chloe and Logan. "Besides, I could always provide some protection."

Logan grunted, "Kid, I won't hurt your friend; you don't need to worry about her."

Clark raised his eyebrows, "It's not her I'm worried about."

Logan glared at him, then at Scott who was trying not to laugh. Seeing the look, he commented, "I think I'm going to like this kid."

Clark told Chloe, "I'm heading back. I'll tell my parents what's going on and I'll be back in a few hours. Maybe Mr. Xavier can give you a tour of the school while I'm gone."

Chloe nodded, "Okay. I think a tour would be cool. I'll see you in a few hours."

Clark nodded. Xavier said, "Scott, Ororo, show Mr. Kent out, please."

They nodded and walked him to the door. Clark thanked them and apologized for his behavior. Both were taken completely by surprise when Clark shot upward and flew away from the door. They shook it off and started to walk inside. They stopped when a car pulled up the gate.

Back in the Danger Room, Chloe asked Xavier, "Professor, I know you want to see what powers I have, and to tell you the truth, I want to know as well."

Xavier smiled, "You have many abilities, more than I have seen in a single mutant before. Follow me, I have a lab down the hall and it has advanced equipment to test mutants."

Logan spoke up, "X, I'm going to go and help the others with the repairs. See ya later."

Chloe watched him leave. After he left, she commented, "He doesn't trust me and Clark. Not that I can blame him, the first thing Clark did is to attack him."

Xavier argued, "Logan is wary of most people he meets. He thought the school was a hoax when we first brought him in."

She laughed, "That does not surprise me." She sniffed the air and frowned. "Were you expecting any company? Someone just walked into the school."

Xavier focused. He laughed, "Ms. Sullivan, I'd like you to meet an old friend."

Chloe narrowed her eyes and nodded. They went out to the hallway. Curiously, Chloe turned the corner and nearly jumped up to the ceiling. She calmed down and looked up at the blue furred man standing next to Scott and Ororo. She walked up to him and apologized. "I'm sorry; I'm not used to seeing a person like you. I'm Chloe Sullivan, newest mutant at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Good to meet you."

The man smiled, "Dr. Henry McCoy. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Sullivan."

"Please, call me Chloe. Lionel Luthor calls me Ms. Sullivan and I really hate it."

McCoy nodded, "Well, then, call me Hank. Yes, Mr. Luthor can be less than appealing when it comes to dealing with people. Tell me, what did you do to get on his bad side?"

Chloe bit her lip and answered, "I was mad at a friend, so I agreed to research him for Lionel. Lionel promised to get me a column at the Daily Planet. After a few months, I told him I was finished. He blacklisted me at the Planet and my father was fired and was blacklisted as well. Then last year, I found evidence of his involvement with murder and I agreed to testify. While he was in prison, he tried to have me killed."

McCoy raised his eyebrows, "Well, you are definitely as brave as you look. You know, I could use someone with your tenacity. I currently need a research assistant who isn't afraid of going toe to toe with normally intimidating people. I can set you up with a position at the Daily Planet and after you finish high school, you can come to work for me."

Chloe opened her mouth in complete shock. She stammered, "I would be glad to. I've always wanted to be a reporter for the Planet. This is such a great opportunity."

"I'm glad you are excited. Now, how did you get here from Metropolis?"

Chloe glanced at Xavier. He nodded. She looked back at McCoy and answered, "A friend flew me here. You just missed him leaving."

McCoy looked surprised. "He flew you here?"

"Yeah, he did. When he comes back later, you can meet him. He went to tell his parents what was going on. Of course, he'll be concerned about me getting a job so quickly. He has a hero complex, and his friends and family get most of his protection."

Hank nodded, "Sounds like meeting him will be quite interesting. I look forward to it."

Chloe turned to Xavier and asked, "So, Professor, should we go run some tests? I'm anxious to learn more about my mutation."

Xavier nodded. "Hank, would you care to join us? I'm sure you would be interested in the results as well."

He agreed and they walked to the lab.


	8. Tests

Chloe followed Xavier and McCoy into the lab. She asked, "So, where do you want to start?"

Xavier replied, "Well, let's start with a DNA test to map the mutation. Are you ok with a blood sample?" She nodded. Hank picked a needle and prepared it. He walked over to Chloe while she pulled up her sleeve. She held her arm out to get the shot. Hank found a vein and drew some blood. He withdrew the needle and put it aside. He explained, "I'll run that for tests later. Now, I think a scan of the muscular and skeletal would show us any physical aspects of the mutation."

Chloe replied, "Good, I really don't any surprise changes. My hair and eyes are different enough for me."

Hank picked a syringe and a bottle out of a closet. He filled the syringe with the liquid. "In a few seconds this will absorb into your blood and muscles to show us their density and strength."

She nodded as he gave her the shot. She lay down on the table and waited. Hank and Xavier left the room to avoid any interference.

An hour later the scan was finished. Hank walked back in and told her, "The scan is complete; the results are being analyzed and printed. While you wait, Charles has set up tour for you as well as set up a room."

Chloe smiled, "Thank you, Dr. McCoy. Where is the professor?"

"He's almost done with the late morning class. He is downstairs in his office. I'll let you find him. You apparently have excellent tracking skills. Charles mentioned you could smell me from the Danger Room." He smiled, "I don't know if I should be impressed or offended."

Chloe grinned at him, "I guess you have to get to know me before you'll know." She left him shaking his head. She walked out the door. She closed her eyes and smelled the air. She immediately picked up several scents. She concentrated harder and focused on one. She recognized it as the girl she saw when they arrived. She smiled at remembering the girl, especially since she just met these people. She focused more and saw that the girl was sitting between the boy and girl she saw in the room that Clark threw Logan into earlier. She guessed this a class, so she figured Xavier was there. She opened her eyes and walked toward the room. She went through the secret wall and stepped out into the hall. She looked around and tried to find the door to the office. She saw several doors but don't know which one to try. She thought for a minute and closed her eyes. Instead of smell, she tried to focus her hearing. She concentrated and tried to listen for Xavier voice. Nothing happened for a couple minutes. She grew disappointed, thinking she didn't have that power. The quiet was suddenly broken and she heard everything: thousands of noises all overlapping. She squeezed her eyes tighter in pain. She focused harder and focused on each sound. She cycled through all the sounds and finally settled on the professor's voice. She listened and got worried when she heard the girls southern accent, "Professor, even if she is a mutant, she and her friend have attacked my friends."

Chloe stopped listening and took a deep breath. She looked behind her and walked toward the exit. She quietly opened the front door and walked out. She carefully shut it behind her.

A few minutes later, Hank came out and walked up to Xavier's office. He knocked on the door and was told to come in. He started to tell the results. He looked around the office in confusion, and asked, "Did Ms. Sullivan not come here? I told her to go meet with you."

Xavier shook his head. "She hasn't."

McCoy frowned, "That's strange, she seemed eager to meet with you."

Xavier focused. A moment later, he opened them and sighed. "She's not here. Hank, what exactly did her results show?"

"Well, her skeletal and muscular systems are extremely dense. I would guess that as a result, she is even stronger than Peter is. She can run faster than normal humans, has the highest pain threshold I have ever seen, has enhanced senses, heals fast, and has an ability to change her outward appearance."

Xavier questioned, "Do you mean the way Mystique can?"

He shook his head, "No. From what I can tell, she can change her eye color from her normal appearance to her current color, and can alter her skin at the molecule level. I couldn't begin to guess what that would allow her to do."

Rogue nervously asked, "You said she had enhanced senses?" He nodded. She looked guilty and said, "I think she overheard our conversation. Maybe she left because of what I said."

Xavier sighed. "Maybe she did, but we need to find her and convince her to come back. I'll find her." He wrote a number on a paper. "Rogue, why don't you give Clark and his parents a call and let them know what's going on."

She took the paper and nodded. She got and went to find a phone. Bobby asked, "What can I do to help?"

"Just go wait with Rogue by the front door. Once Clark knows, he'll be here quickly." He nodded and went to find Rogue.


	9. Running

Rogue walked to the hall and found a telephone. She looked at the paper and dialed the number. It rang twice and then someone answered. A woman answered. Rogue cleared her throat and said, "Hello, this is Marie D'Ancanto. I needed to get in touch in Clark as soon as possible."

The woman sounded worried and asked, "Is something wrong?"

She bit her lip and answered, "Um, don't get mad, but his friend kinda took off." She moved the phone away when the woman shouted "She ran away!" She softly answered, "Yes, she did."

"I'll let Clark know. Thank you for calling and telling us." The line disconnected. Rogue hung up and jumped at seeing Bobby standing behind her. "Bobby, what are you doing?"

He answered, "The professor asked me to wait for Clark with you."

She nodded and walked to the front door. They waited for a few minutes, and then saw a blue blur approaching them high in the sky. A few seconds later, Clark slowed and landed in front of them. Both were speechless and totally amazed. Clark sighed and asked, "Were did Chloe go?"

Bobby answered, "We don't know, but the professor is looking for her right now." He suddenly looked distracted, and then he said, "The professor says Chloe is downtown walking in some alleys. Clark said thank you and then speed away to find her.

Chloe walked down the alley. She knew the girl didn't know her or Clark, but it upset her that she was so quick to judge people she just met. She just needed a while to get calmed down and decided to take a walk for a while. She passed an old mirror and looked at her reflection. She sighed as she looked at her eye color. She wanted her eyes to be like they used to be. She became surprised when the color faded to their original color. She thought about having the color back and they changed again. She changed back to normal and thought 'I can blend in. I thought my eyes would always be like that.' She resumed her walk. After walking a block, she heard what sounded like a fight. She quickened her pace to investigate. She saw a group of people gathered together. She walked up to get a closer look. She saw the people were attacking a girl her age. The girl was wrapped in what Chloe recognized as hunting net and was barely able to stand. She looked down and saw a 12 year old boy lying unconscious. She saw some kind of tentacle sticking out from the boys hands. She guessed they were both mutants. She wanted to help but she hadn't had her powers that long and the mob could easily overpower her. She saw one man move in to punch the girl. She told him to wait. Everyone turned and glared at her. She calmly asked, "Are these two mutants?"

One man glared and asked, "Are you a mutant-lover? Do we need to teach you a lesson, too?"

Chloe shot him an annoyed look and shook her head. "No, I just wanted to look into a mutant's eyes and see why they act better than the rest of us. I've had too many close encounters with them. People in my home have died because of them"

The mob all made sounds of approval. The men backed up and Chloe walked up to the black haired girl. She looked at the mutant and made eye contact. Even weak, Chloe still saw anger directed toward her. Chloe could smell the anger mixing with a tiny amount of fear. She leaned closer to the girls face so no one else would see. She changed her eyes and winked. She changed back and mouthed, "I'm here to help you."

The girl looked surprised and Chloe felt the hope rush over the girl. Just then she heard Clark come speeding up behind the mob. She spoke quietly, "Clark, listen to me carefully, play along and pretend to be red. We have a situation here." She mouthed to the girl, "Play along." She turned around and said, "Clark, glad to see you again. Come on and have some fun with some mutants. Once I'm done you can have a shot at them." He relaxed and played along. Chloe looked at one of the men holding a baseball bat. She reached and took it from him. She slowly turned to the girl and jabbed her in the side a few times, each time increasing the strength. The girl went along and glared at her in anger.

Chloe backed up and held the bat up to swing it. As she swung it, she quickly turned and hit the closest man just hard enough to knock him out. Clark quickly jumped in and knocked out two others. Chloe lunged at another man who had drawn a knife. She crashed into him and they hit the ground. Chloe quickly knocked him out and stood up. Clark turned to her and looked down at her stomach. She looked down and saw the knife sticking in her side. She grabbed the knife and pulled it out. She watched as the wound healed up.

Chloe turned back to the girl and ripped the net off the girl. Clark went over and checked on the boy. After a minute, the girl seemed to feel better and walked over to him. Worried, she asked, "Is he ok?" Clark x-rayed him and only saw a couple bruises on his back. He shook his head and answered, "He's fine; just a few bumps." The girl smiled in relief and looked at Chloe and said, "Thank you so much. I thought they were going to kill me. You think real quickly. I really believed you were anti-mutant."

Chloe just shook her head. "I don't leave people in such a bad situation."

Clark picked up the sound of approaching people and spoke up, "We getting company. I think we should leave before their friends show up. We should return to the school."

Chloe nodded, "We can get you two looked at. Clark, grab the boy and take him to the school." She looked down at her shirt and commented, "Clark, give me your coat. It will draw too much attention to see a person with a bloody shirt walking around downtown New York." He nodded and gave her his coat.

The girl started to object, "And if he wakes up, tell him his sister will be there soon." The girl stared at her in confusion. Clark nodded and picked the boy up. He slowly rose and headed toward the mansion.

Chloe slowly pulled the net off her back and the girl cried out in pain. Chloe looked at her back and saw two black wings. She noticed one was broken. Chloe winced and commented, "I don't think you'll be flying any time soon. That wing is pretty damaged." She felt around the wing and felt where the wing was bent at one spot. She told the girl, "This is really going to hurt." She twisted the wing to straighten it out. The girl screamed and stiffened.

Chloe looked around and grabbed a large tarp. She gently put it on the girl and explained, "A person with wings will also draw too much attention." They slowly walked back to the mansion.


	10. Time for a Facial

Chloe and the girl slowly walked down the alley. Chloe heard footsteps and stopped moving. She started to backtrack when two men ran out in front of her. One man Chloe recognized as the one she hit with the bat. He glared and growled, "I should have known you were a mutant. No one can take a knife to the gut and just walk away. Get 'em, guys." Chloe quickly moved the girl out of the line of fire and faced the two men. They started slowly boxing her in by the wall. Chloe cautiously watched the two in front of her but failed to see the third man coming up behind her with a crow bar. She mockingly asked, "Come on, I took out 5 of you; two isn't going to be problem." At that moment the man behind her brought the bar down hard on her head. The impact resulted in a loud thud. However, the three men were completely stunned and somewhat scared when she just groaned and turned toward him. She glared and said, "That's not any way to treat a lady."

The man glared back and swung the bar again. It hit her head and her head snapped to the side. Her head shot back toward the man. The man paled at what he saw. Her eye color was now orange and her face was now drawn into something catlike. Her eyes were narrowed on the outside. Around her face, her skin had raised slightly to form stripe-like marks. She growled, "That was definitely not very nice. I am going to ask nicely and you can walk away safely." She looked at him straight in the eye and stared him down. He gulped and the three men backed up and out of the alley.

Chloe exhaled and relaxed. She glanced over at the girl. The girl stood up and walked over to Chloe. She smirked at her and pointed at her face. Chloe looked confused and felt her face. She gasped when she felt the stripes on her face. She looked at a broken mirror nearby and looked extremely surprised. She concentrated and the stripes faded away. She glanced over and smiled apologetically. "I guess I have to watch out for that from now on. Come on, we should keep moving; those guys are not going to back off that easy. By the way, we never got introduced. I'm Chloe Sullivan." The girl replied, "I'm Sienna Raven, but I prefer to go by Raven." She pointed at her back. "The wings gave me the idea." Chloe nodded. "Good to meet you. Let's get back to the school and get cleaned up."

Clark landed at the front door of the school. He opened the door and walked over to Xavier's office. Xavier and Logan looked up and saw Clark carrying the boy. Clark handed the boy to Logan. He explained, "Chloe found two mutants being attacked by a mob. We got them away, but Chloe is still out there." He indicated the boy. "He needs to get checked out. I'm going to go get Chloe." He sped out of the room, leaving Xavier and Logan confused.

Chloe gently pulled Raven behind an old car. They kept quiet until Chloe gestured that the people had passed them. Chloe looked around nervously. She commented, "That one was close. We really need to get back to the mansion. Unfortunately, I don't know the area well enough. I got a little turned around when I avoided the second group of people. I'm sorry."

Raven shook her head. "It's ok. I would have been killed if you and your friend hadn't stepped in, me and my brother would be dead right now."

Chloe helped her stand up and they started to walk down the alley. Chloe picked up someone approaching and sighed. She stopped her companion. Chloe listened and then sighed in relief. She said, "We're ok now. Clark is coming."

A few seconds later, Clark zipped up to the two girls. He questioned, "Are you two all right?"

Chloe nodded. "If you don't mind, we could really use a lift out of here, super kid." Clark frowned at the nickname, but he nodded. He walked over to them and put an arm around each of them. Chloe cautioned Clark, "Be careful with her, Clark. Her back is in pretty bad shape." He nodded and gently floated up and headed toward the mansion.

Logan waited by the front door. He saw the blur approaching the mansion. Clark landed in front of him carrying Chloe and a girl he didn't recognize. The girl let go and stepped away looking dizzy. She commented, "I've flown before, but it's never been that fast." Clark looked sheepish and apologized. The girl shook him off.

Logan glared at Clark. He simply said, "The boy is in the infirmary. X and the fur ball in there waiting for you." Raven stood taller and started into the mansion. Logan reached out and grabbed her back. He pulled away when she cried out in pain. He was unprepared when she spun around and punched him in the stomach. Logan grunted in pain and just stood there. Clark and Chloe both were shocked and their mouths were hanging open in surprise. Logan cleared his throat and took her to the infirmary. They walked in and made their way to the infirmary. Raven ran past McCoy into the infirmary and looked around franticly for the boy. She saw him lying on a medical table. She ran over to see him. She saw he was still asleep and nervously glanced at Hank. She asked, "Is he going to be okay? Please tell me he's going to be okay."

Hank nodded, "He's going to be fine. He has a mild concussion and a sprained ankle. Truth be told, he very lucky. It could have easily been worse. The mob you ran into is not known for being lenient toward mutants."

Clark and Chloe walked into the infirmary. Raven glanced at them and replied, "Well, I have two guardians to thank for that." She sat down and winced in pain. Hank frowned and asked, "Miss, are you alright?"

She nodded, "I'll be fine." Hank walked over to her and firmly asked, "Can I take a look at your back, please?" She glared at him. He stood his ground and she finally sighed and gave in. She glanced toward Clark, Chloe, and Logan. She pointed at Logan and said, "I don't want him here." Logan glared at her and objected, "I have a right to be here." She glared and commanded, "I don't want you here, caveman!" Chloe's eyes bugged out and managed not to laugh. Logan grunted and stalked of the room.

She turned around and put the tarp on the floor. She pulled at her shirt and it fell away. She flexed her back and black wings spread out. One was bloody and bent at one point. Hank whistled. "That looks painful. It doesn't look infected, so we can just clean the wound and set the bone." He walked over to the cabinet and removed some iodine and sterile pads. He poured some iodine on the pads and cleaned the cut. Raven hissed in pain. Hank finished and threw the pads away. He advised, "Miss, this is going to be painful." She nodded. Clark moved over to her and said, "Hold on to me. You can't hurt me." She nodded.

Hank gripped the wing and straightened the bone. Raven screamed and clenched her hands around Clark's hand. He didn't flinch while she squeezed. Hank quickly set a brace on the wing so it could heal properly. Raven looked to him and nodded in appreciation. Chloe frowned at the exchange. Hank noticed her expression but kept silent.

Chloe walked to the boy and asked Hank, "Is it safe to wake him up? I'm sure seeing his sister will make him feel better." Hank shook his head, "He needs to rest for a few more hours."

Raven narrowed her eyes at Chloe and asked, "How did you know that we are related? Have you been following us?"

Chloe shook her head. "The two of you smell alike. I guess that is how families smell." Raven smiled, "Your powers are impressive, both of you. I mean, your friend doesn't even need wings to fly."

Chloe smirked, "He just realized he could. From what he told me, he's been floating in his sleep for years." She whispered, "He hasn't tried it because he was afraid of heights."

Hank and Raven looked amused while Clark looked embarrassed. Hank spoke up, "I hate to make you leave, but Ms. Sullivan…" Chloe loudly cleared her throat. Hank sighed, "Chloe has a few more tests that she interrupted by leaving to conduct her first search and rescue. If the two of you would excuse us we can continue." They nodded and left the infirmary.

Chloe watched them both leave. Hank waited until they left. "Chloe, I couldn't help but notice your expression toward Raven a moment ago. Tell me, do you have feelings for Mr. Kent?"

Chloe laughed, "Of course I do; he's my best friend." Hank elaborated, "Do you have romantic feelings for him?" Chloe bit her lip and answered, "That is not your business."

Hank became serious and replied, "Ms. Sullivan, I went over your blood sample. I discovered that some of the human cells have been completely altered. Your cells are an unusual mixture of human cells, mutant cells, and feline cells; the latter two taking up the majority. The remaining human cells seem to have partially concentrated on keeping the reasoning centers of your brain active. If I had to guess, I would say that you have some instincts of a feline, making you more territorial and fiercely protective toward certain areas, objects, and even people."

Chloe sat in shock and surprise. "Are you saying I might be overprotective of my friends and family from now on?" Hank nodded. Chloe sighed, "This is considered private, right? You can't tell anyone?" Hank nodded. She chuckled, "I guess you are my new doctor. From what I hear in the news, the public doesn't care much for mutants."

Hank replied, "You are right about that. The professor tells me that an old mutual friend had kidnapped him and nearly forced him to wipe out all mutants. I have taken steps to seize the grounds of the site of the attack."

Chloe felt her inner reporter take over, "What exactly are you taking from there? Are there any mutant biographies that I could look at?"

Hank laughed at her enthusiasm. "I don't exactly know what is there. I'll tell you what. You and Mr. Kent go back to Smallville and you get packed. The professor will take the time to prepare a room for you here."

Chloe smiled and nodded. She walked out and called Clark. He zipped up to her. She explained the situation and they flew back to Smallville.


	11. Conversations

Clark landed in the driveway of his house. Chloe excitedly smiled and ran up to the house. Clark smiled and followed her inside. Chloe burst open to tell the Kent's her news but stopped at seeing Lex in the kitchen. Everyone looked over at her. The Kent's gave her a cautious look indicating silence. As Clark walked in and greeted Lex, she kept her smile and politely said, "Hey, Lex. What brings you out to the farm during the busiest time of the year for Luthorcorp?"

Lex gave a half smile that Chloe immediately identified as untrustworthy and which made her skin crawl. He stated, "Well, we adjourned for today after reacting strangely. Everyone at the company suddenly experienced extreme pain and disorientation. The Kent's tell me the whole town felt it." He subtly glanced at Clark and tilted his head. "I was checking in to see how you guys are doing." Chloe looked grateful and replied, "Well, that was really nice of you. I hope that you and your clients weren't hurt either."

Lex nodded and walked to the door. He looked back at Chloe and commented, "I like your hair. When you decide to grow it out?" Chloe shrugged, "A couple days ago, why?" Lex shook his head, "No reason. Have a good day." He walked outside and moved out of view, hoping to hear something out of the ordinary.

The Kent's started to talk but stopped when Chloe held up her hand and shook her head. She glanced at Jonathon and asked, "Mr. Kent, I noticed you still had some 2 by 4s in your truck. Maybe you and Clark should go and put them away." She then moved to face the door where Lex was hiding. She looked at Clark and raised her hand to her nose. He looked confused for a second then understood. He nodded and walked to the door. "Yeah, dad. Let's go put that wood away." Jonathan followed him looking confused. They opened the door and Lex flinched at the door hitting his elbow. Jonathan instantly became suspicious at him but pleasantly asked, "Lex, what are you still hanging around for?"

Lex rubbed his elbow and answered, "I was just enjoying the view of your farm. No matter how often I come here I never get tired of seeing it."

Jonathan forced a smile and invited, "Well, feel free to come over anytime you want to. Our door is always open."

Lex smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Kent. I might do that." He walked around the house to his car and sped away toward the town. After a minute, Jonathan turned to Chloe and asked, "How did you know he was still here?"

Chloe simply shrugged and answered, "I could smell him. He smells of leather and steamed air. It made me kind of dizzy." Martha chuckled and questioned, "Is that another mutation you have now? You can tell people by the way they smell?"

Chloe nodded. Jonathan tilted his head and asked, "What do Martha and I smell like?"

Chloe sniffed and replied, "You smell like sun burning the grass and Martha smells like fresh baked bread." She hesitated and chuckled; "Now I feel hungry. Do you have any bread, Mrs. Kent?"

She nodded and put some bread in the toaster. Being curious, Martha asked, "What does Clark smell like to you?" Chloe thought for a moment. She then answered, "I honestly can't figure it out. If I had to describe it, I would say he smells like cold air." Chloe sniffed the air and commented, "Are you cooking something, Mrs. Kent? I think something is burning." Martha paled and ran to the oven. She opened and smoke billowed out into the kitchen. She waved her hands and groaned. "Well, there goes our dinner. I can't believe I forget to check the roast." Chloe smiled and replied, "Well, it still smells pretty good." Martha gave her a warning glare. Chloe held her hands up in mock surrender when the smoke alarm went off. Chloe screamed in pain and covered her ears. She grabbed the counter and went down to her knees. Jonathan and Martha looked horrified and concerned. Martha kneeled by her and tried to help her. Chloe looked up in pain and growled out, "Clark, turn that thing off!" Clark zipped over and pulled the alarm off and ran it out to the barn and zipped back. Chloe uncovered her ears and stood feeling dizzy and slightly sick. Jonathan asked, "What was all that about?" The Kent's looked from Chloe to Clark waiting for an explanation. Chloe weakly replied, "You two now know what my weakness is. I think my body is extremely sensitive to high levels of noise and sound waves."

Martha frowned, "So, any loud noise will hurt you?" Chloe nodded. "Well, we will remember that, and not have anything to hurt you in the future." Chloe thanked her and Jonathan. She suddenly remembered her news and said, "By the way, I have good news. Clark and I flew to New York and spoke to a man running a school for mutants. They're not meteor freaks, they are actual mutants. He is arranging for me to spend the remainder of my schooling there." They started to object but Chloe continued, "I realize that the move will be unusual happening so quickly, so we figured we would act like I applied for a student exchange program. It will maintain some legality and be a reasonable cover. I also have been offered an internship at the Planet from a mutant we met there. After I graduate, I will be working for him, but I will have the chance to become a reporter."

Jonathan looked concerned and asked, "Chloe, this is good news, but it seems too good to be true. How do you know you can trust these people?" Chloe didn't get upset; she knew that was a reasonable question. She sighed, "I guess my gut is telling me I can believe them. Some of them were even scared of us. They believed we were going to kidnap them. They even have a kid who is faster than Clark. I don't remember him, but he said he came to Smallville before."

Jonathan narrowed his eyes, "Do you mean Bart Allen? He was there?" Chloe nodded, confused. Martha commented, "Maybe they are trustworthy. Bart is not quick to trust anyone." Chloe looked confused, "How do you know him?"

Jonathan answered, "Earlier this year, Clark and I were going to a Sharks game and I was nearly rolled over by a logging truck. I was pulled out of the way and assumed it was Clark. He hadn't done it and I discovered my wallet was gone. He had you trace the credit charges, and met him in Metropolis. Clark chased him through Metropolis and lost him. He came home to find Bart here having lunch. Bart was a lot faster than Clark. He almost got himself and Clark killed by stealing an artifact from Lex and trying to sell it."

Chloe nodded. "So the fastest man alive met the strongest man alive. How did he get his power? Is he a mutant or is it a meteor power?" She looked to Clark for an answer. Clark replied, "It's neither one, actually. He was struck by lightning. He said it sent his body into overdrive."

Chloe sighed. "I wish I could move that fast. You would never be late for anything. Well, unless you're six feet tall and always wear plaid. Then nothing can help you."

Clark shook his head while Jonathan and Martha refrained from laughing. Clark shot back, "Maybe that person just had trouble getting ready. I tended to take my time."

"And you being late all the time got me and Pete betting during high school. We always traded the cash back and forth."

Clark smirked, "Glad I able to help." Chloe bowed in thanks. She stood up and said, "Well, I need to go pack. Professor Xavier is preparing a room for me, and I need to get some things ready. Clark, could you fly me back in the morning?" Clark nodded and walked her to her car. She waved goodbye as she drove away.

Clark sped back inside smiling ear to ear. His parents just gazed at him and he noticed. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Martha commented, "Clark, I think you are falling for Chloe." Clark raised his eyebrows and replied, "Mom, Chloe is my friend."

His parents waited. Clark reiterated, "Chloe is just my friend. My feelings don't go beyond that." Jonathan then agreed with his wife, "Your mother may be right, Clark." Clark frowned slightly and asked, "What makes you think that way?" Jonathan answered, "You defended yourself, for one. You maintain she's just friend. And most of all, you didn't once mention Lana in your objections."

Clark opened his mouth to object, but closed it after a second. He sat down and looked at his parents slightly startled. He quietly answered, "You're right." He paused. "Now that you mention it, I haven't even thought of Lana for months. At first, Alicia and I were together. And when that mental attack happened, I was only worried about Chloe when she collapsed. Lana didn't even register in my mind." He looked seriously at them, "Even now, I don't feel that concerned for her. Am I finally over her?"

Martha walked over to Clark, "Only you can figure that out, Clark. I do know you still care for her. I know you will always worry about her. But you don't need to be in love with her to do that. Also, Chloe's situation has brought the two of you closer together. We have never seen you so relaxed around anyone. Even with Alicia, you were reserved and worried she was untrustworthy. With Chloe, you are extremely open and speak your mind. It almost seems like a mild red exposure."

Clark denied, "I'm not on red k." He swallowed and continued, "Although some mutants saw me on it earlier." His parents exclaimed, "WHAT?!"

Clark hid his eyes and quietly explained, "Chloe and I took a green and red rock to show what I was. Anyway, one of the mutants there was trying to protect a young girl and attacked me. I dropped the ring box and he picked it up, and then tossed it to me. Needless to say, I lost control." He looked them in the eye and continued, "If Chloe hadn't stopped me, I could have killed him."

Martha sighed, "How many people there saw you like that? Do they know about your origins?" Clark nervously nodded. "I didn't want to tell them, but Chloe suggested they would be suspicious of my reactions to the rocks."

Jonathan scowled, "Well, I can't say I am happy about this, but Chloe had some logic behind her reasons. I will give some leeway but we need to think about how much we can trust these people."

Clark sighed. He looked at the clock. He saw it was 7:26. He stood up and said, "It's almost 7:30. I'm going to go finish the chores and then stop by Chloe's to help her pack and talk about her plans to cover around here."

They nodded. Clark sped out the door and came back a minute later. His parents were staring at him as he came back inside. He saw them staring and sighed, "Why do you always stare at me when I do that?" They smiled and answered, "It still amazes us how fast are. You go talk to Chloe about your plans. Be back at 9 pm."

He nodded and raced out the door. He stopped outside the Talon, noticing that Chloe's car had not pulled up yet. He went inside and ordered a latte while he waited. He waited for 10 minutes and turned to the door as Chloe walked in. She sniffed the air and looked toward him. She smirked at him and walked over to him. She glanced around the café and asked jokingly, "Have you been here long, Kent?" He smiled and retorted, "No, but long enough to enjoy a hot coffee."

She raised her eyebrows in amusement and looked around. She narrowed her eyes and glanced back at Clark in confusion. He frowned and asked what was wrong. She just stared at him in shock. She asked, "How long have you been in the Talon, Clark?" He replied, "I would say about 15 minutes. Why?" She indicated behind him and he looked over. He looked around and noticed Lana and Jason sitting in a far booth. Clark looked at Chloe and shrugged, "Lana and Jason are having dinner. What's wrong with that?" She looked at him in awe and asked, "Who are you and what happened to Clark Kent?"

He sighed, "Nothing has happened. Lana is happy with him and I am fine with that. I don't need to obsess over her. She has her own life. I have mine."

Chloe bit her lip and argued, "Clark, if I didn't know better, meaning I can smell your sincerity, I would say you're full of it and totally lying to me and yourself. When did you realize you were over her?"

Clark looked serious and replied, "I realized about 30 minutes ago. My parents noticed I hadn't even thought of her through this whole thing. All I worried about was how you were. They also say I seem more open and expressive around you. Mom even compared it to a red k high."

Chloe unconsciously shivered, "I never want to see red k again. That side of you is not very appealing. Plus, I don't like having to turn to our favorite green rock to bring you down." She looked at Clark in the eye and whispered, "I never want to have to do that to you ever again. Please don't put me in that position again." He looked back and put his hands on her shoulder. "I promise I will never put a red ring on again. I can't promise I won't get exposed again. I'm sorry for that." She nodded. She gave a small smile and said, "Well, I think I should go pack. I have a flight to catch in the morning." She walked up the stairs and went to her room. Clark followed and commented, "I'll help you and we can come up with something to tell everyone without raising too many suspicions." She nodded and they packed and talked about the cover story for 2 hours. They finished and then Clark left and sped home. Chloe went to sleep excited for the next day. She quickly fell asleep.


	12. Black K Chloe

Takes place about 2 months after chapter 11 and after the events in Recruit through Lucy.

Chloe made her way along the corridor of the mall. Normally, Queens Center was so beautiful. However, at the moment, people were running crazily for the exits and any possible cover. She heard another loud crack and seconds later a large piece of marble came flying through the air. She noticed two teenagers cowering by an info kiosk, unaware of the danger. She broke into a run heading for the kiosk. She leapt up over the kiosk and grabbed the top with her hands. She let herself flip over and then let go. She drove the marble into the floor obliterating it. She steadied herself and went to check the girls. They were terrified but Chloe managed to get them to the nearest exit. She looked to the area where the missiles were coming from. She quietly walked up the stairs and made her way to the food court. She looked around the corner and surveyed the area. She spotted her target: a large man wearing a rock like helmet and leather clothes. The Professor had given her a mission to locate a mutant who had been tearing up different stores in downtown New York for two weeks. She had found him. She smirked and called out tauntingly, "Marco!"

The man froze and looked around the large room. The damage he had caused had made the area perfect for echo effects. Chloe decided to play with that and frustrate her opponent. She knelt down and crawled across the room quickly. She called out, "Polo!"

She then moved again. She stood up, looking at his back. She watched him look around in anger and confusion. He challenged in a deep British accent, "Stop hiding and face me, you coward! Face the Juggernaut!"

Chloe raised her eyebrows in amusement. She stood and prepared to go out. She replied and mocked his accent, "I'll face the Juggernaut!" She ran forward and leapt toward him. He turned toward her and barely reacted to her charge. She back flipped at him feet first and impacted with his chest. She gasped in shock as she hit him and barely staggered him. She hit the floor and glanced up at him. He smirked and taunted, "No one can bring the Juggernaut down." She smirked back and jumped up to her feet. She circled him slowly. She sized him up and figured how to handle him. He grew upset and turned away from her. Chloe indicated her intentions by driving a powerful spin kick to the back of his head, cracking and sending his helmet flying. He spun back to her at an impressive speed for his size and let loose with a flying upper cut. It connected with her jaw and sent her flying across the room and crashing into a menu of one of the food areas. He shook his head and turned to leave.

Chloe hit the floor and landed hard. She stood and dusted herself off. She looked at her broken arm and popped her arm back in place. She sighed in anger and she jumped over the counter. Glaring at Marko, she reached down and pulled a table from the floor. She ran a few feet and hurled the table at Marko. It hit him square in the back and he turned to face her. She kept running at him and drove her fist at his jaw. She got a good hit and Marko flew back a few feet and hit the floor hard. She panted hard in anger and rage. Glaring at him as he stood, she prepared for his next move. She smirked at him as he stood and stared at her. "I guess I'm no one." She rushed him and grabbed his arm. She held tight and pulled him around in a circle and then tossed him into a nearby wall. She dusted off her hand in finality. She grew surprise as he barreled toward her. She was unable to react as he plowed headfirst into her. She flew back and crashed into the counter. Dazed, she slowly tried to stand. She managed to get to her knees when Marko grabbed her by her jacket and threw her into the nearest wall. She fell to the floor and tried to stand. She looked around and noticed a dangling power wire. She reached for it and got an idea when she saw the wire spark. She picked it up and taunted, "Marko is that the best you got? I can take anything you can give." He growled and stormed toward her. When he got close, she thrust her hand forward and grunted as electricity flowed through her into Marko. He screamed in agony for a few seconds. After about ten seconds, she released the wire and they both collapsed to the ground. Chloe slowly healed and climbed to her feet. She warily walked around him looking for any movement. She knelt down and felt for his pulse. She sighed as she found it and glad he was still alive. She pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. She waited and then weakly said, "Hank, Marko is in custody. Send a containment unit, and four clean up crews." She glanced at her arm and the blood stained sleeve. "And have them bring me a clean shirt."

She slowly walked to an undisturbed table. She tilted her head and sat down. She picked up the burger and took a big bite. She glanced to the side and grabbed for the chow mein from the next plate. She exhaled deeply and relaxed. She hungrily ate everything on the table. She finishes the food and looks around still hungry. She glanced over at the McDonalds and walked over. She went behind the counter and looked around. She opened a cabinet and pulled out a couple cherry pies and a sundae. She pulled out her wallet and put a five dollar bill on the counter. She walked out passing a group of people slowly come out of the bathrooms. She glanced at them and to the table she ate at. She casually walked to them, ignoring their cowering in fear. She pulled out her wallet and handed them a twenty and said, "That should cover your meals. Sorry about eating your lunch, but I got really hungry." She turned and called over her shoulder, "Hope you enjoy the rest of your day." She strolled out to her car as the clean-ups showed up. She smirked at the head man, "Good timing, Remy. You guys get quicker each time." She slapped his hand depositing a fifty dollar bill and he handed her a new shirt. "You'll have to pay me one of these days." He smirked and replied, "Not likely, Cherie. Not likely."

Chloe drove to the mansion. She opened the door and strolled inside. A blur sped around her several times before she reached out and grabbed hold of a sweater, stopping the blur in its tracks. Bart smirked at her and joked, "You can't run but you can definitely see fast. But, don't worry, you'll miss me eventually." Chloe tilted her head and shrugged. "We'll see." He smiled wider and blurred away. She walked over to the main room and noticed Raven laughing with Peter. Her brother, Michael was playing Monopoly with Kitty. She saw Bobby and Rogue in the corner doing their personal moment: lost just staring into each others eyes, not moving closer than a few inches.

She smiled at the memories she had here. How she had been helped by these people to get used to her abilities and they had been interested in hearing her tales of danger in Smallville. It felt different telling them about some of her near death experiences. Everyone here had grown to trust her and Clark. She shook her head and asked, "Is the Professor in his office?" Everyone vocalized that he was. She thanked them and walked over.

She knocked on his door and he invited her in. He was talking on the phone. He looked up and said, "Yes, she just walked in." Chloe narrowed her eyes in curiosity. She sat down in front of the desk and waited. "I will let her know. Have a good weekend, Hank." Chloe brightened and asked, "How is Hank doing these days?" Xavier nodded, "He's doing quite well. He tells me that he is close to opening up a conversation with the President. He is doing much to establish a favorable channel with humans."

Chloe nodded. "That is impressive. But you said you would tell me something." She frowned, "He didn't change his mind about the Daily Planet, did he?" Xavier quickly shook his head. "No, he hasn't changed his mind." Chloe relaxed. "He has a couple of assignments for you. The first is somewhat formal. Both are close to Metropolis, so arrangements will not be an issue. Tonight in Metropolis, Queen Industries is hosting a gala marking the opening in Metropolis. Oliver Queen has supported Hank's cause for mutant equality. In private for now, he hopes to eventually reveal himself. Hank wishes to keep Mr. Queen safe for the event. Your assignment is to attend and keep an eye on Mr. Queen and his companions." Chloe smirked, "You sound like you are suspicious of Queen somehow." Nodding, he replied, "There are rumors that the city is giving funds to the gala, and several city representatives are lending several valuable gems and rubies to the event. If that is true, we fear that someone may try to steal them." He handed her several papers. "In the last 4 months, events across the east coast have had items stolen. The police have ignored this fact, but Luthorcorp and Queen Industries have been the main companies at the events."

Chloe bit her lip. "We all know Luthorcorp is capable of anything. Queen is less public and remains secluded. It seems like he might have something to hide."

Xavier smiled, "I knew you would be interested in this. Hank has arranged for you and Mr. Kent to attend the event. I have arranged for a tuxedo for Mr. Kent and a dress for you." Chloe raised an eyebrow. He shrugged and replied, "I took the liberty of getting your measurements. The preparations needed to be done quickly." Chloe gave a mock unsure look and asked, "And what is the second mission?"

Xavier replied, "He would like you to go on a trip to a Luthorcorp testing facility." Chloe quickly said no. He continued, "I know you don't trust him, but he asked McCoy's firm to send a representative to witness, according to him, a world changing event."

Chloe scoffed. She thought for a minute. "I'll do it. One thing about Lex is that he doesn't ask for an audience." She looked at him. "When does he want me there?"

"It's the morning after the gala. You should take notes for the Planet; he has allowed this project to be made into a story." Chloe looked curious and concerned at the same time. She folded her arms and nodded. "Lex has never invited a reporter for an interview. I'll look into it."

Xavier nodded. "The dress and tuxedo have been shipped to the Kent farm. Clark is waiting for you in the back yard. He and Peter were boxing earlier." Chloe looked horrified at that comment. "I hope Peter didn't get hurt." "He's fine."

She walked out outside and quietly made her way to Clark. When she was right behind him she grabbed his arm and pulled it behind his back and wrapped her other arm around his neck. She applied strength and held him there. He squirmed at being restrained. He spoke out in mock annoyance, "I can't believe a girl half my size can take me. I must be losing my strength. I guess I'll have to even the odds." Without warning, he shot up into the air about 10 feet. Chloe smiled and let go, jumping down to the ground. He floated down and kissed her. She returned the kiss and stepped back. "Let's go attend a party, Mr. Kent." He smiled and nodded. They said goodbye to everyone and Clark took off toward Metropolis.

**Later that night…**

Clark stood in the loft, glancing at his mirror. He adjusted the black tie and sighed. He was glad to go with Chloe but he hated dressing up. His mother complimented, "You look wonderful, Clark. Chloe is lucky to be going with you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kent." They turned to see Chloe walk up the stairs in a full length yellow gown, and her hair was done up into a French braid. Clark looked at her and swallowed. Martha smiled at her son's reaction. Chloe decided to make him more uncomfortable and commented, "Clark, we don't need to set a fire in the barn."

Clark turned several shades of red and Martha gasped in horrified amusement. Chloe walked to Clark and stood taller to him. She brushed her nose against his and whispered, "Let's go to a party." He exhaled and gently picked her up. He looked at her and then sped toward the gala. Martha smiled and walked into the house.

They stopped a block outside the gala. She looked over her dress and checked for any wind damage. She gave a satisfied nod and held out her arm to Clark. "I've always wanted to make a big entrance to a party." He smiled at her and agreed, "We wouldn't want to disappoint the other guests." He took her arm and they walked to the entrance. He pulled out the invites and showed them to the valet. Chloe checked her purse with the headwaiter and they went to the main floor. She looked around and saw Queen talking with a group of people. Clark looked around and noticed a prominent covered display. He x-rayed it and saw the jewels. Chloe nudged Clark and he looked over. "Did you find them?" He nodded. "Do you want me to keep on eye on them?" She shook her head no. "Event security is doing that already. If anyone else keeps watching it, they'll know right away and get suspicious. You just act naturally and keep from using your powers here. They could attract unneeded attention. Just hang around. Let's go meet the host."

They casually made their way to Queen and his companions. Chloe gave her usual cheerful greeting. "Hello, Mr. Queen. I'm Chloe Sullivan. I am honored to meet you. I never thought I could meet you. You have such a busy schedule; I'm surprised you could attend an event such as this." Queen smiled and shook her hand. He narrowed his eyes in concentration. "Sullivan, Sullivan. Your name is familiar. Have we met before?"

She shook her head no. "Mr. McCoy hired me as an assistant. He even provided me a job at the Daily Planet. He was impressed with my dealings with the Luthors and felt I could do a lot to help him."

Queen kept the smile but Chloe could tell his attitude changed at the Luthor name. Going with that change, she looked around the room. "But unlike you, the Luthor's put their name on this event but decided not to show. They clearly feel this was not worth their attention."

Chloe could tell she said the right thing because his disposition immediately became accepting. He glanced at Clark and held out his hand in greeting. "You've been pretty quiet. Can you talk?" Clark said yes. "I'm not the reporter. I leave that to Chloe. I'm Clark Kent." Queen asked point blank, "Well, reporter or not, how do you feel about the Luthors?" Clark answered, "Lionel Luthor is not someone I would ever turn my back on. His son is different. He is nothing like Lionel. We've had our problems but we worked through it." Chloe remained calm as she felt Queen go cold. He replied to Clark with no change in his voice, "Well, it seems you can tell a lot about people. Excuse me, the unveiling is about to happen." He excused himself and left. Chloe turned to Clark and related, "Clark, I don't know why, but Queen has a lot of bad feelings toward the Luthor name, particularly Lex." Clark looked toward Queen and asked, "Mr. Queen probably just lost a deal to Lex and took it personally." Chloe bit her lip in thought. "Both ways, something tells me Mr. Queen and Lex don't make good talking partners."

A man stepped up to the podium next to the jewels. Everyone stopped and turned their attention to him. He welcomed them to the event and introduced himself. He made a speech about giving the women in the event the chance to wear one of the jewels. He then unveiled the jewels. Several pictures were taken of them and an auction was then started to see which lady would wear each one. Chloe coerced Clark to bid for her and she managed to receive a gold necklace with large amber stone to accent the color. Clark took a few pictures with Chloe posing. Everyone suddenly panicked when the lights went dead. Chloe remained calm because she could still see. She looked around and watched security trying to calm everyone down. She and Clark moved to the side to avoid any danger. Chloe sniffed the air and looked upstairs on the far ceiling. She saw someone moving along the banister of the staircase. She moved away from Clark and carefully went upstairs. She came up behind him yanked him over the rail and in front of her. He was surprised but managed to release some kind of flash blinding her. She sniffed for him and grabbed for him. He pushed her away while grabbing the necklace from her neck. He pocketed it and spoke in an electronically garbled voice, "Thanks for this, lady." He sprinted away from her but she leapt into the air and landed in front of him. She gave him a level gaze, "Not letting you take that, stranger." He shook off his surprise and before Chloe could react he had drawn a bow and fired an arrow at her.

The lights came back on and Clark noticed Chloe was gone. He frantically searched and saw upstairs stuck to the wall with some kind of net while a man in green ran deeper inside the building. He raised his eyebrows and made his upstairs. Chloe had a scowl on her face and she growled at Clark, "Don't say anything and just get me loose. I can't move." He smirked and proceeded to remove her from the net.

The police got statements from Chloe and two other victims. Three pieces of jewelry were stolen and there was no evidence left behind. The police allowed them to leave. Chloe asked Clark to take him to the farm. She called Xavier and told him what happened. She declined to identify the thief. She went to sleep and prepared to meet Lex in the morning.

Next morning 8 am

Chloe drove to the lab. She walked to the main door and signaled the intercom. She identified herself and waited for an answer. In response, the door clicked open and she walked inside. She made her way to the lab by smelling Lex. She saw him talking with an unfamiliar man.

Lex walked up to Dr. Sinclair. "Have you fixed the problem, Dr?"

He nodded. "Absolutely, Mr. Luthor. The stimulations have all been positive. Increasing the thermal variations by 98 should eliminate the separation impurity." Lex walks around the laser projector and toward Dr. Sinclair who walks toward his computer.

"Six months of this and all you had to do was turn up the heat?"

**Sinclair:** Well, it's not that simple, Mr. Luthor. I mean, the composition of these meteor rocks is highly unusual. Calculating the exact temperature was a challenge." Chloe looks incredously at Lex and asked, "You're experimenting with meteor rocks?"

Lex and Sinclair turn to her. "Yes, Chloe. If you're patient, I will show you what I hope to accomplish." He turns to a bowl of apples nearby. He gives one to her. "Try a bite of this." Curious, she takes it and complies. She grimaces in disgust as she bites the apple. She quickly spits it out. "It tastes horrible. What happened to it?"

Lex answered, "The problem we are trying to deal with. He indicated the seeds and the laser. "When we expose the subjects to the rocks radiation, they grow rapidly with little water. The results are all the same. We hope to fix it by increasing the temperature of the rock." She considers it and says, "Sounds like you could have a good thing here. I am still concerned with this." He nods and directs her in front of the computer.

Sinclair hands two pairs of dark protective glasses to Lex and Chloe. They put on the glasses and moves to stand next to the glass tank.

Sinclair announces, "Initiating sequence." Sinclair hits a few buttons on the computer and a female computerized voice is heard _Thermal sequence initiated_. The projector emits a narrow blue laser that hits the center of the meteor rock. The inside of the green kryptonite begins to swirl slowly. "Increasing thermal output 70."

Lex quietly spoke, "Come on, come on."

The computer announced: _Approaching optimum thermal reaction,_ Sinclair reported, "Opening the irradiation samples." Below the kryptonite, the base of the tank opens up revealing several plant seeds. **Computer:** _Subject seeds exposed to radiation._

"90. Absorption level as expected." Sinclair said. **Computer:** _Irregular molecular stimulation noted in subject seeds._ Sinclair confirms, "95. 98. Power objective has been attained. Molecular activity is exceeding the control model." Sinclair suddenly panics, "The thermal level is continuing to accelerate."

The green glow of the kryptonite darkens until it becomes black and flashing blue light strobes on the seeds in the tank. Chloe shakes her head worried. **Computer:** _Thermal levels exceeding safety parameters_.

Lex turns to Sinclair, "What's happening?" "The temperature is climbing past the target range." Lex takes off his glasses and walks back to the computer next to Sinclair. Lex shouts, "Shut it down!" "I'm trying, sir, I'm trying!"

The blue energy inside the black kryptonite continues to grow in strength until the rock starts to crack as if about to burst. Lex pushes Sinclair away from the computer, trying to protect him.

Chloe backs away and cautions them, "Let's get out of here!" Sinclair turns to go and slams his head against a banister on the way, knocking himself unconscious. Lex looks at the kryptonite again and turns to go. Chloe starts running for the exit just as the kryptonite bursts with bluish-purple energy that strikes her and Lex on the back. His arms flail out to his sides and he screams and shakes around as though he is being electrocuted. She screams in pain and her body is thrown across the lab.

When the energy stops, Lex falls to the floor and the glass tank explodes, making a mess of the whole room. Lex stands up, groaning in pain. All of the tables in the room have been knocked over and the overhead fluorescent lights flicker weakly. Lex kneels down and helps Sinclair to his feet. Lex asks Sinclair, "Doc, are you okay? Sinclair groans in response. He is bleeding from a cut above his left eye. They both look around the room.

Lex calls out, "Chloe, can you hear me?" He turned at the sound of shifting debris. Chloe slowly stood up and slowly walked to Lex. Chloe weakly joked, "Do you have insurance for your lab, Lex?" He smirked then declared, "I'm calling this one a failure. Come on, Dr. Sinclair, I'll get you to the hospital."

Lex holds onto Sinclair, helping him walk out of the laboratory. As they are leaving, another Lex who has been lying behind the shattered kryptonite tank stands up and watches them go with disbelief. He waits and then leaves as well.

Across the room a beam was lifted up and tossed across the lab. A figure leapt to its feet. It stalked forward and a working light illuminated Chloe's face. It was now marked by stripes and bright yellow irises looked around the room attentively. She sniffed the air and turned her attention to the exit. She tilted her head in confusion and sprinted to the exit. She followed the corridors until she saw a group exiting the building. She looked at them and focused on one person in particular. She whispered to herself, "No way. There are two of me. I have to get to her and find Clark." She left the building and hid from view until the car left. She dialed Clark and said, "Clark, come out to Luthorcorp and pick me up. You should be quick."

Clark speed over to Luthorcorp and saw Chloe. He walked over to her and asked, "Chloe, is everything okay?" She nodded, "Let's just get to the farm. Then go to the Hospital and make another pickup. I'll explain when you come back."

He sped to the farm and she walked inside. He glanced at her curiously and she urged, "Clark, go!" He nodded and sped to the hospital. Chloe walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. She reached for the roast leftovers Martha had made the previous night. She grabbed the milk carton and a block of cheese. She kicked the fridge closed and went to the table. She grabbed the roast and tore it apart. She bit into the roast without restraint. She exhaled in contentment and took a large gulp of milk form the carton. She tore into the cheese and meat again when a confused Clark walked in with another Chloe. Clark and the new Chloe gaped at her copy and couldn't make any response. The Chloe eating just looked up and handed a chunk of meat to her. "Hungry, Chloe 2?"


	13. Birth of the Lynx

The two Chloe's looked at each other. The one eating looked away after few moments and said, "I don't feel like doing a stare down, I think we would both lose at the same time." Clark and Chloe #2 still looked shocked. Clark asked, "Chloe, do you know how this happened?" Chloe #1 walked to the fridge and looked around for more meat. She offhandedly replied, "Not really." She smiled at hearing the familiar rushing sound signaling super speed.

Clark turned to Bart knocking on the door. He let Bart inside. Bart looked at him and Chloe #2. He nodded greetings and told them, "X told me to come and check on Chloe. He said he felt something unusual happen to her around an hour ago." Chloe #1 spoke up from behind the fridge, "Something unusual definitely happened, Bart." She looked out from behind the door, "Good to see you, rocket." She embellished a bow and said, "This is the chance to meet two of me. Take advantage of this onetime offer. It is here for a limited time only."

Bart looked between the two Chloe's and looked extremely shocked. Chloe #1 looked at Bart knowingly and commented, "Take in the view; I know you like this situation." Bart paled and glanced at Clark and the other Chloe. Chloe #2 told him, "Don't feel too bad. We're still recovering from this new information." The two Chloe's sniffed and #2 said concerned, "Clark, your parents are home. How are we going to explain this to them?"

He looked between the two of them and sighed, "Let's just tell them the truth." #1 sardonically answered, "Mom, Dad, Chloe went to a Luthorcorp lab and came back home with her long lost twin." Clark glared at her and Chloe #2 glared at her double that shoot back a condescending glare.

Martha walked inside the house. Martha came inside and glanced over at the group. She walked to the pantry and then froze. She looked back at them and her mouth hung open in shock. She stammered, "Clark, why are there two Chloe's standing in the kitchen?" Jonathan then came in and noticed Martha looking shocked. He frowned and asked, "Martha, are you all right?" She just pointed toward the group and Jonathan quickly looked to where she indicated. His eyes widened and he stared at Clark. Clark quickly spoke up, "I can explain. Chloe was..." He glanced at the copies. He looked at his parents and continued, "She was split in two."

#1 gave a laugh and commented, "Two sides of one coin is more accurate, flyboy." Everyone looked at her with curiosity. She explained, "A person has two sides of their personality. One part is in charge of restraint, such as keeping secrets and feeling hidden. The other would follow any primitive instinctive impulses and drives." She indicated the food at the table, "For instance, feeling hungry and acting on it. I would probably be considered the subconscious part of Chloe."

The other Chloe nodded but questioned, "That makes sense, but how are you able to interact with us, instead of just running around like an animal?" "Because my mutation…our mutation came with certain new instincts." Chloe looked around uncomfortable. She quietly replied, "I remember that." Everyone looked concerned but decided to wait to understand.

Bart spoke up, "I need to get back to the school. I'll explain the situation to the professor. Do you think I should bring one of them with me? I think two Chloe's would cause some suspicion. Especially one who has weird facial marks." The two Chloe's felt their faces and #1 looked surprised. She asked, "Have I looked like this the whole time?" Everyone nodded. She narrowed her eyes and tried to conceal it. Nothing happened and she sighed. "Well, I would have volunteered anyway. We'll learn more about this with her anyway. I would be distracted and could endanger the investigation. We both have abilities; she can detect any clues as well as I could."

Chloe #2 nodded. "We should have a way to identify ourselves. We can't both go by Chloe right now." Chloe #1 looked at a mirror and traced the stripes on her face. She looked at everyone and announced, "For the duration of this situation I'll go by Lynx. That will also be my codename for missions from now on."


	14. Betrayed

Bart sped into the mansion carrying Lynx. He set her down and she shook her head in admiration. She commented, "I wish I could feel that rush all the time. You are Clark are lucky."

Bart shrugged. "When I first got my speed, I was scared and freaked out. I didn't want it. After a few months, I realized it was not going to go away, so I got used to it. Now, it's a part of me and it makes me who I am."

Lynx smiled, "That's another thing I noticed. Clark told he resented his powers while he was growing up. He wanted to be normal, just like everyone else." She smirked and continued, "But when anyone he cared about was put in danger, he always came to the rescue. He even lost his powers to a kid in high school and tried to help out." She winced at the memory. "He stood up to the kid and ended up being tossed onto the roof of a car."

Bart winced, "I'd hate to experience that. I run fast, I don't heal fast." He frowned in worry at the playful look that appeared on Lynx's face. She turned away and walked into the hall. She sniffed the air and turned toward the kitchen. She walked up to Logan and tapped him on the shoulder. He faced her and greeted, "Hey, Sullivan, how are you? X said something happened in Smallville this morning."

She nodded, "I'm what happened. I'm going by Lynx right now; Chloe is back in Smallville with Clark. Luthor was foolishly experimenting with kryptonite and now they are two of me."

Logan just blinked and stared. He glanced at Bart questioningly. "Is this another one of your pranks?" Bart somberly shook his head. Logan looked back at Lynx who was staring at him innocently. Logan sniffed, "You don't smell any different."

Chloe shrugged, "Well, we know your senses aren't as good as mine but there is no difference between the two of us. Except for this face; and my impulsive nature; and the fact that I'm here talking to you and Chloe is helping figure out what happened to us."

Logan stared at her. "So you're technically both Chloe Sullivan?" She nodded. "I am Chloe Sullivan, but I have more impulsive desires. I get an urge and I just act on it." Logan scoffed at her. Lynx glared and let loose with a right hook to his jaw. He fell backwards and hit the floor hard. Lynx commented, "Like how every time you make that sarcastic sigh when you get annoyed. You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that."

Logan stood up and popped his neck. He glared ay Lynx and she shrugged. She turned when Storm and Marie walked in. Lynx became excited and ran over to them. She excitedly said, "Let's go out and do some shopping. Hank gave me a personal spending account for my personal needs, and until Clark and the other me figure out how to put us back together."

They both looked confused at her enthusiasm. Storm asked, "What are talking about? What is going on?"

Lynx smiled, "Of course, sorry. I'm Lynx. I'm a split off version of Chloe. I'm follow my instincts, and right now, they are telling me to go shopping and buy a lot of clothes. I will probably regret doing it but the desire is overpowering. Let's go." They glance at each other and shrugged. Lynx looked into the lounge and noticed Sryin. "We're going shopping, do you want to come?" Sryin looked disappointed and answered, "I want to, but I really to finish my essay. Maybe I can go next time." Lynx nodded, "Well, good luck. If you want, I'll help you out when I get back." She replied, "Thanks." They turned and followed Lynx to the car and drove away.

Inside the mansion, the phone rang. Syrin looked over from the couch and called out, "Is someone going to get that?" No one answered. "Is anyone there?" She sighed and got up. She stormed to the phone. She picked it up and answered annoyed, "House of the gifted, how can I direct you today?" She listened for a few minutes, growing scared and worried. "Are you sure? I mean she was just here; she seemed normal." She nodded and gave in. "Right, you guys have more expertise in the area of the rocks. What can we do here? Do we wait for her to come back and confront her?" She listened and replied, "Yeah, she dragged Storm and Marie out to the mall." She swallowed, "They didn't know; why should they keep her locked up? They will back after a while: I'll deal with her when she comes back." She hung up the phone and looked around nervously. She walked upstairs to the dorms. She found Logan and Peter. She told them the situation and they prepared for the girls to return.

Four hours later

Syrin sat nervously on the couch. She occasionally looked toward the door. She heard the door open and she carefully walked down the hall. Marie and Lynx were laughing and holding several bags. Sryin looked nervously at Lynx and hid behind the banister. Knowing Lynx could probably hear her, she still whispered for Logan to help her.

Lynx walked into the hallway and noticed Sryin hiding. She happily asked, "Are you playing hide and seek or something?" She nervously replied, "Or something." Lynx grunted when she was grabbed in a bear hug from behind. She playfully teased, "Wow, you managed to get me for once." She craned her neck and her smile faded. "Peter, what are you doing? Get off of me." He didn't reply. She frowned and struggled. She warned, "I'm serious. Let me go." He increased his grip to keep her in check. Lynx growled and shoved her arms back freeing herself. She wheeled around and growled, "What is your problem, Peter?" He tried to grab her again and she grabbed his arm. She swung him at the wall and he hit it hard. Logan rushed forward and tackled Lynx. He knew she couldn't feel pain so he extended the two outer claws and pinned her neck to the floor.

Marie and Storm both looked shocked and shouted, "Logan, what do you think you're doing?" He answered, "I'm protecting us." Lynx pushed up at him and he hit the ceiling. Lynx leapt to her feet eyeing Logan and Peter carefully. She backed up and bumped into someone. She wheeled and looked eye to eye with Sryin. Lynx saw Sryin inhale and she paled. Barely a whisper, she pleaded, "No." The screech filled the room and Lynx fell to her knees. She blinked back tears and looked up at her assailant. She whimpered in pain and whispered, "Please stop." Her eyes rolled up and she slumped to the ground.


	15. Evil Lynx

Lynx groaned in pain and opened her eyes. Her whole body ached. She really hated when Sryin opened her mouth. She rose and looked around. The mutants must have told Bart to dump her in the Kawatche caves. She glared and stormed from the cave. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. She waited and then said, "Lex, come out to the caves and pick me up. I have a situation that you are partially responsible for. And get quickly I'm not in any mood to be messed with."

20 minutes later, a Porsche sped up to the cave entrance. Lex got out of the car and looked around angrily. He walked toward the cave and looked for Lynx. He called out, "All right, Chloe. I'm here. What was so important?"

Lynx stalked out of the shadow of the trees and angrily demanded, "I want to know to what happened in that lab." Lex regarded her with feigned confusion. "What do you mean?" Lynx rushed forward quicker than Lex could react and grabbed him by the throat. She glared at him and repeated, "You tell me what you did to me or I will show you what an iron grip feels like." He choked out a demand, "You will let me go or I will take care of you myself."

Lynx tilted her head in amusement and said, "You've got no leverage here, Lex. Tell me what you did." He looked at her and then conceded, "I don't know. Something blew up." Lynx sighed and let him go. "Then it was the kryptonite. How many times do we have to warn you warn you about experimenting with it? The results are never desirable."

Lex looked at her curiously and asked, "Kryptonite? What is that?" "The meteor rocks. You should not use them; they cause more problems than they're worth." She took on an extremely condescending attitude, "I guess your latest experiment has released the true inner beings for both of us."

Lex looked at her intently. "What do you mean inner beings?" Lynx rolled her eyes and walked over to the car. "I mean we don't have the weak compassionate side to hold us back. I am going to do what I want, when I want to. Clark and 'my sister' can try to stop me. I'll show them how much a fight I can give."

Lex smiled at her evilly. "I almost believed you, Chloe. You had me going for a second." Lynx jumped onto the car. She glared down at Lex and growled, "My name is Lynx. Sullivan is an amateur reporter who wouldn't take on a chance on anything if it wasn't for me." She smirked at him and asked, "How much is this hunk of junk?" Lex nervously answered, "The retail was about half a million."

Lynx carefully paced around the hood. She bent over and performed a hand stand. She lowered her arms and pushed up and executed a flip. She landed on the hood with a thump. Lex swallowed, "Chloe, stop messing around and get off the car." Lynx gave him a stern look. Her right foot kicked out to the side cracking the windshield. She looked at him and blatantly retorted, "Whoops." Lex looked at her angrily. Lynx gave a sarcastic tremble and feigning fear she asked, "Oh, is the powerful Alexander Luthor going to sue me?" She performed a flip off the car to the ground. She tilted her head at Lex in total mockery. "Go ahead and try it. Tell them how a 5'5 teenage girl could do this to your car." She gripped the back bumper and lifted the car off the ground. Relishing the surprised expression on Lex' face, she gripped the bumper and raised the car level to her face. She glanced at him in anticipation. "Come here, Alexander. See for yourself."

He walked under the car. He held his hands out to feel anything. He smirked, "So you can lift up a car. What do you want my help?" She moved the car to the left and set it down gently. "I want the same thing I imagine that you want. This world is ripe for the taking. With my power and your intellect, no one could stop us." Lex looked at her, "I offered the same to Clark and he refused." Chloe shrugged, "He wasn't properly motivated."

Lex held up his hand revealing the kryptonite ring. "Pain didn't convince him, and shooting his dad didn't either." Chloe pouted, "Oh, man. You couldn't wait for me to watch? That would have made my day. Wait for me next time."

Lx smirked and said, "I might have a way to make up for it. I could let you loose on the other you." Chloe shook her head, "She has the same powers as me and Clark. I wouldn't stand a chance." Lex offered, "What about the other me? I know part of you would get a kick out of that." Chloe eyes sparkled, "I thought you would have killed him when you saw him. Let's go have some fun." Lex opened the door for her and she climbed in excitedly. She squealed, "Let's go! Let's go!" They drove off and went to the mansion.

After the car left, a figure came out from the caves. Bart pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. "She just met with Lex. They just left the caves. I'll follow them." He sped away.

Lex opened the mansion doors and gestured for Lynx to enter. She curtsied and went inside. She turned to Lex and commented, "Before I have some fun with your twin, I have been dieing to do this for months." She sauntered over and laced her arms around his neck and pulled closer to him. She waited a few seconds. She looked at him and then ran her hands over his smooth head. She felt it for a second and then looked disappointed, "Darn, I was so sure it felt like a bowling bowl." She released him and ran to the couch. She jumped over the couch and settled into it. Lex smirked, "That was borderline offensive. I happen to be sensitive about that." Lynx pursed her lips, "Well, get over it. It makes you looks pretty distinguished." Lex frowned and looked in the mirror. "You really think so?" "Lynx stifled a laugh and sarcastically answered, "Oh, yeah. So much."

She sniffed the air and looked toward the wine cellar door. Her eyes went wide in expectation and she bounded for the door. Lex followed her and unlocked it. She all but jumped down the stairs. She started to run over but stopped. She indicated for Alexander to stop and shushed him. She mouthed, Watch this. She got a concerned look and called out worried, "Lex, are you down here?" She started walking around the cellar and Alexander smiled. "Lex, if you're down here, you need to tell me somehow." She heard the clanging of chains and turned toward it and ran forward. She looked over and saw him chained to a beam. She gasped, "Oh my god, Lex." She ran over and pulled the helmet off him. She felt for a pulse and assured him, "You're okay; I will get you out of here." Lex weakly shook his head and urged, "Get out. Get out now." "I won't leave you here."

Alexander stalked over with an angry look. "You and Clark never know when to stop, do you?" Lex became terrified and urged her again, "GET OUT!" Lynx glanced over at Alexander with a Cheshire grin, "This is too much fun. He really thought I was helping him." She looked at Lex with sadistic amusement. "He's such a silly little man." She ran her hand over his sweaty head and groaned, "Okay, that was gross." She disgustedly wiped her hand on his shirt and stood up. She sniffed and cautioned, "Alexander, hide."

She looked around and gasped in surprise as Clark came speeding up and tossed her to the back of the cellar. Clark turned to help Lex when he gasped and fell to his knees. He glared up at Alexander. "Always trying to be a hero, aren't you, Clark? I want you to remember that despite all your amazing powers, there was one man who could defeat you."

Alexander suddenly grunted and grabbed for his throat. Lex spat out, "Let's see what happens to me if you die." Alexander drove his elbow into Lex' stomach. He turned on him, "You can't kill me." He punches Lex in the jaw. "You aren't strong enough." Another punch. "I drive you." Another punch. "I give your life meaning. I am your soul you weak pathetic little man. I AM THE REAL LEX LUTHOR!" He pulls back for another swing when a beam of heat hits the green rings. The rock quickly turns to black and cracks open. The two Lexes scream in pain and are forced together. One attempts to force himself free but after a flash of blinding light, Clark looks over and sees Lex lying on the ground, dazed. Clark checks on him. ""It's okay, Lex. It's over." Lex looks at him curiously and asks, "How did I get down here?" Clark replies, "I don't know. I tried calling but you didn't answer. I came to check on you." He helps Lex up to his feet and glances toward the back of the cellar. He turns back and walks back upstairs.

Lynx walks from the shadows with a relived look. She pulls out her phone and dials. "This is Lynx. The situation has been resolved. Lex is back to normal." She cracks her neck. "Have Bart zip over and bring Chloe to the farm. We know how to put us back together."

Back at the farm

Lynx pulled her bug up to the loft. She went inside and walked up the stair. She smiled at the nervous look Clark got when he saw her. She commented, "I got a leopard sports bra while I was shopping in New York. I took a couple pictures of me in it for you to keep." She handed him a couple. He gulped at them and stammered, "Thanks, I think." He took a look at them and read a caption on one: 'From your kitty cat' He turned bright red and said, "Well, Chloe should be here soon. Do you have the kryptonite?" Lynx smirked and held up the lead box. "I got it right here, flyboy." He nodded and put the pictures in his desk. He walked over to the couch and sat. Lynx noticed the look he had. She sat down next to him and questioned, "What are you thinking about?" Clark frowned and replied, "About everything that happened, especially with Lex. I am glad he's back to normal and that he doesn't remember what happened." Lynx gently pushed him, "But…"

He sighed, "When I saw you had been split, I was shocked at seeing two of you. But you were both still you. Lex was completely different. He was sadistic, unpredictable, and irrational. I know you put on an act to help find Lex, but the other him wasn't. I spoke to him about it earlier. He asked himself what I was worried about. Did the explosion create an evil Lex; or is what he is on the inside?"

Lynx leaned on Clark's shoulder. "I know you want to see the good in him, Clark. But we might have to accept that we caught a future glimpse of the real Lex Luthor. Maybe no matter what happens, he will become that side of himself. You remember what Queen asked you at the gala. When you defended Lex, his defenses went up. I think Lex has given some people really bad impressions." Clark nodded, "I hope that this was a one time thing. Dealing with an evil Lex is not something I would want to repeat." Lynx remained leaning on Clark. A rushing sound alerted them to Bart's arrival. Chloe looked over worried, "What are we all talking about?" Clark answered, "Who the real Lex Luthor is." Chloe bit her lip and nodded, "That is a million dollar question. Let's just hope it's not the answer we expect." Lynx agreed, "I second that."

She sat up and slapped Clark on the shoulder. "Well, we should wrap up this unpleasant drama." She walked over to Chloe and pulled out the rock a safe distance from Clark. Chloe placed her hand on the rock. Bart backed away next to Clark. Clark squinted and a beam of heat shot lanced out and hit the rock. The rock glowed green for several seconds then became black. It cracked apart and the two Chloe's screamed. Bart watched as they were pulled together and a bright light flashed over the loft. When it faded, there was only one Chloe Sullivan in front of them; and she was wearing the leopard sports bra. She reddened and asked for an extra shirt.


	16. Memory Lane is closed

Prom Night

Jonathan walked up the stairs and jumped in surprise at seeing Chloe in front of him. He narrowed his eyes at the fire ax she held in her hands. Before he reacted, she jerked it up at his chin. He collapsed backwards and rolled down the stairs. She smirked and looked at him with contempt. She walked away toward the basement.

Clark ran out of the gym and walked up the stair. "Dad!" He ran forward and woke him up. Jonathan groaned and rubbed his chin. "Dad, are you okay?" He nodded, "It's Chloe; she isn't acting like herself." Clark looked down and frowned. He commented, "I hope Chloe remembers the plan." Jonathan looked concerned and warned, "Be careful, Clark." He nodded and ran toward the basement. Neither one noticed someone watching them the gym door. The person carefully follows Clark.

Chloe stormed into the furnace room. She angrily glanced around the dark room. She saw a pipe handle and smiled. She hefted the ax and swung it at the handle. It broke off and oil started pouring out. She smirked and dropped the ax. She sauntered over to the furnace and opened the door. She smiled wide and said, "You're all going to pay." She walked over and grabbed a mop. She took it over and stuck it into the flames. It caught on fire and she turned toward to the oil. "Now that's I call a torch." She then tossed the mop toward the oil.

Clark sped in and grabbed the mop. He put it to the side and glanced at Chloe. She stared at him confused, "How did you do that?" "I know it's you Dawn. You don't want to do this."

Chloe walked toward him glaring. "All those years I kept trying to be what everyone else wanted. And it turns out those losers don't even care. This was supposed to be the best night of my life and they laughed at me!"

Clark demanded, "Let Chloe go!"

'Dawn' scoffed at him and smiled. "I will. You see, Clark, there is a whole new life after high school, and I can be whoever I want." She touches his chest and there is a flash of light. Chloe looks around in confusion. "Clark, what happened?"

Clark smiled happily at her and grabbed the tiara. "The crown is mine, freak." Clark let loose a right to her jaw. Chloe flew across the room and hit the wall. She grunted in surprise and groaned. She shook her head clear and stood up. She stands up and slightly upset, she shouts, "Dawn."

Clark turns around and smirks. "Seriously, Sullivan. You can't stop me." Chloe nods. "You are right about that, but I can stop my boyfriend." She pulls out a piece of kryptonite and extends her arm toward Clark. Clark flinches in pain and begins feeling weak. He looks at Chloe in confusion and falls to his knees. He grunts, "What are you doing? What is that?" Chloe moves forward with a determined expression and tells him, "It's time for you to leave, Dawn."

Clark continues to gasp in pain and arches his back. A red light flashes and Dawn's spirit comes out and floats upward. It looks down at them and then fades away. Chloe glances at Clark and tosses the kryptonite away. Clark regains his strength and stands up. He runs to the pipe and shuts off the oil. He looks back at Chloe and then at the ground. He picks up the tiara and puts it on her head. "I think you dropped this." He looks at her chin and concerned, he asks, "Are you okay?" She nods. "It will heal." He smiles at her and says, "Congratulation, Ms. Sullivan. You're the prom queen for Smallville High." She beams and they walk back to the gym.

After they leave, Lana walks out the shadows. She has a confused expression. She looks over to where Chloe tossed the rock. She went over and picked it up. She looked to the exit in wonder.

Two weeks later.

Chloe walked into the backyard of the school and pulls out her cell. She pushes 4 and waits. The phone picks up and Lois picked and monotones "Thank you for calling the Talon; please hold." Chloe smirked at her cousin's professionalism. She always excelled at whatever she did. After a minute, Lois came back on. "How can I help you this morning?" Chloe cheerfully ordered, "Hello. I am going to need three non-fat mochas and two iced lattes." Lois brightened but went along, "Okay, miss. Are you going to need any food with that order?" "No, just the coffee. We don't need any extra food. How goes life as a barista?" She heard Lois sigh, "How Lana and Martha ever kept their sanity is beyond me. You are almost always moving even on the slow days. And if the business goes up you can't get a break. But it pays the bills and the general would court martial me if I call it quits. On the plus side, Clark has been volunteering here to keep up the slack. I can't tell you how fun it is to boss him around. You have quite the boyfriend in him, cousin. Hold on to him." Chloe rolled her eyes, "Clark is probably regretting the promise to help you I asked him for." Lois jokingly complimented, "Well thank you for forcing his hand. As a matter of fact, he is supposed to be here soon." Chloe heard the phone hit the counter and she flinched at the bang. Lois came on after a second and apologized, "Cous, I hate to cut you off so soon but the football team just walked in. Call me again later. Bye." Chloe said goodbye and hung up.

Lois hung the phone on the charger and turned to her customers. Lana was the next one in line. Lois greeted, "Hey, Lana. What can I get you this morning?" Lana nervously answered, "Actually, I was looking for Clark and Chloe." Lois got the next patron's order and replied, "Chloe is in New York finishing her internship and Clark is due any minute." She looked over to the drawer and her eyes widened in amazement. She ran over and announced, "You did not just do that." There was a green flash of light and Lois pleasantly asked, "What can I get you?" The man flashed a nervous smile and replied, "I've already been helped." Lois nodded and closed the register.

Lana went to wait for Clark. He came in a few seconds later. He reluctantly walked to Lois and asked, "What do I need to do now, your majesty?" Lois smirked and said, "Go get ready and let me finish with this customer." She took the cash and opened the register. Her eyes widened in shock, "Oh my god, we've just been robbed." Clark looked over in concern. Lana looked to the back and noticed a man run out the door. She called to Clark, "Clark, go and check out back." He looked at her then to the back door. He saw it swinging and went to check.

Lana waited a few minutes and then went outside. She went into the alley and didn't see him. She walked around and saw him slumped against the fence. She ran forward and called his name. He didn't respond so she called again. She knelt in front of him and cried out, "Clark. Are you okay? Clark." He shook his head and blinked. He gazed up at her. He asked, "Who is Clark? Where am I?"

Lana was taken aback at his response. She helped him up and directed him to her car. "Your name is Clark Kent. You live in Smallville, Kansas. Clark, I am going to get you back to your house." She carefully looked at him as she got in her car. He just looked ahead with a look of concentration. She asked, "Do you catch him?" Clark looked over and asked, "Catch him? Did I catch who?" Lana swallowed and explained, "You were in the Talon and realized it had been robbed. You went out back to catch the thief." He concentrated and shook his head. "I don't remember. You said you were taking me home. Are you my sister?" Lana reflexively laughed out loud, surprising Clark. She regained her composure and replied, "No, I'm not your sister. I am a friend of yours from since elementary school." She noticed the guilty look on his face. He spoke up, "I'm sorry, I don't remember." She replied, "It's okay. Amnesia is not very easy to deal with, so don't be too hard on yourself. Let's just get you home safely and take it from there." He nodded and sat back. Lana spent the trip asking him simple things that could jog his memory but he really had forgotten everything.

She pulled her car into the Kent farm and stopped. She told him, "This is your house. Does it look familiar?" Clark surveyed the area and asked, "You say I live here?" "Yeah, you do." She indicated the barn. "You are usually up there during the day." He raised his eyebrows skeptically, "In a barn?" Lana realized how strange that sounded, "Well, you once told me it was more peaceful there." He looked again trying to remember. She waited for a minute and then started toward the house.

Clark followed her up the stair and he started to knock. Amused, Lana told him, "Clark, you live here." Clark stopped and lowered his hand to the doorknob. "Right." He pulled on it and it didn't open. Clark looked frustrated and pulled a little harder. Both were shocked when the door came out of the frame and flew into the driveway. Clark looked back in total confusion and stammered, "It was stuck." Lana slowly replied, "Actually, I think it was locked." He looked at her uncomprehending and walked inside. He gazed around the kitchen at everything in there. Lana went to the living and called, "Mr. Kent! Mrs. Kent!" She frowned and went back to the kitchen. Clark was looking at a picture of him with his parents. Lana looked at him. "Do you recognize anyone there?" He shook his head. He looked toward her and "I don't recognize anyone." He commented, "You said I spent a lot of time in the barn; maybe we should…"

A confused voice broke in, "What happened to the door?" Clark and Lana looked to the door and saw Lois looked confused. Clark replied, "You know, I tried to…" Lana interrupted quickly, "I brought him home and the door was in the yard." Clark doesn't understand, but he doesn't say anything more. Lois looks unsure, "Right."

Lana asks, "Lois, do you know where the Kent's are?" She answers, "They're in Metropolis for Mr. Kent's heart exam. Clark, you know that."

Lana explains, "Actually, he has amnesia, and he's having a hard time…" Lois interrupts, "Again?" Clark and Lana both repeat, "What do you mean again?" Lois walks up to Clark smiling. "Well, at least this time you've got your clothes on."

Lana reddens and tells her, "Lois, we need to get his parents back home." She shrugs, "Well, that's going to be a little hard. Mr. Kent has a one-way ticket on the Ambien express. He'll be out of commission for a couple of days. So what happened?"

Clark answers, "Well, the last thing I remember, I woke up in the alley. I was with, uh…"

He looks at Lana, unable to remember her name.

"I'm Lana." She tells Lois, "I'm thinking he caught up to whoever was behind the "robbery in plain sight" incident."

Lois looks unsure, "And what, we have a thief with memory repo?" Lana shrugs. "I guess that could explain why in some weird Smallvillean way how I zoned out eight coffee orders before I found the till was empty."

"I'm going to go to the library and see what I can find out about amnesia." "Yeah, just leave Mr. Memory Reboot to me. I'm getting to be a pro at this." She points a knife toward Clark and warns, "But you know what? You're gonna have to put up with PB and J because that's the extent of my culinary skills."

Lana looks to Clark questioningly, "Okay?" She starts to leave. Clark looks horrified and asks, "Um, please tell me I'm not related to her." Lana smiles, "No, your girlfriend is. You live with her." Lois calls out, "Clark." He turns to Lois and she tosses him a jar of peanut butter. He starts to open it, but Lana quickly grabs it him.

Lana nervously says, "Uh… you know what? I'm gonna take him up to the barn, see if anything up there jogs his memory." She quietly tells, "We should talk." She guides to the barn. Inside she nervously turns to him. She tries to decide how to tell him. She sees a crow bar and picks it up. She hands it to him and tells him, "Clark, try to bend this." He takes the bar and looks at her funny. "This is metal; I can't bend this." Lana seriously asks, "Like you can't pull a door off its hinges." He shrugs and grips the bar with both hands. He glances at Lana and she nods. He focuses and the steel bar effortlessly curls into a circle. She looks astonished and he looks confused. "How did I do that?" Lana chuckles, "I never thought you would be asking that. Your girlfriend has a collection of articles about strange events in Smallville. A meteor shower…" She blinks away tears and finishes, "A meteor shower hit the town and the meteors have had mutated some of the citizens. I think you were affected and have incredible strength." Clark thought for a minute. "So, I am a mutant? And the meteors caused it?" Lana nodded. Clark stood and paced the loft. He asked, "I get the feeling that you know something about the meteor shower." She asked, "Why do you say that?" "When you mentioned the shower, you started crying." Lana smiled at him kindly. "Some things you can't lose. You still care for your friends." Clark smiled back.

Lana sat on the steps and leaned forward. "The meteor shower happened right before the Kent's adopted you. You must have been out in the area and been directly exposed to the rocks. I think we were 4 of 5; I don't really remember. I was with my aunt in a flower shop. My parents had gone to a school game. I remember your parents came in, just an hour before. My aunt and I went out to watch the victory parade. My parents were across the street coming to pick me up." She covered her face and cried for a minute. She looked up and jumped at seeing Clark sitting next to her. Clark told her, "If you don't want to talk about it…" She shook her head and continued, "We looked up and saw a meteor hit in a far away corn field. I then looked at my parents in mild fear. I saw them looking up at something. The next thing I saw was a burning pile of metal."

Clark looked at her apologetically. She shrugged it off and stood up. "At least one person with abilities turned out to be hero, not a villain." She smiled at him and he reluctantly returned it. They heard laughter in the loft and went up to check. Clark saw two teenagers, a guy and girl sitting on the couch. Clark noticed the white stripe in the girl's hair. They were looking at some pictures and laughing out loud. The girl looked over at Clark and cheerily asked, "Back from the torture that is Lois Lane?" She handed him one photo and commented jokingly, "Maybe this will help." He looked at the photo and immediately reddened. The photo was of a blonde girl with shoulder length blonde hair. She was posing for the camera in a leopard sports bra. He read the caption and reddened even more, which caused more laughter from the two teens.

Clark blinked and shook his head. The room had suddenly grown uncomfortably warm and his eyes were starting to burn. He blinked repeatedly to make it stop but it didn't stop. The teens had noticed and now looked concerned. "Clark, are you okay?" He glanced toward them.

Lana watched Clark blink several time and then look toward the concerned teens. Her eyes widened in awe as Clark's eyes suddenly blazed a fiery orange. The teens had seen it as well and jumped to their feet ran from the couch. Not a moment to soon, either, as two waves shot from his eyes and hit the couch. It burst into flames and Lana stood transfixed on the scene. Clark blinked and the waves stopped. Her eyes widened even further as a burst of air came from the boy's hand and covered the couch with a sheet of ice.

The girl spoke up, "I guess the picture really helped. For the record, we already know much you love Chloe. The fireworks are unnecessary." Clark looked confused, "Who are you, and why are going through my things."

They looked at him strangely and then laughed, "Good joke, Kent." The guy retorted, "Upset for us forcing you to go work for Lois?" Clark glared at them, "This is no joke. Who are you?!" He advanced on the two scared teens.

Lana rushed in front of him and calmed, "They must be friends of you and Chloe. Let's not pummel or burn them just yet." The girl looked shocked and walked up behind Lana. She placed her hand on the back of Lana's neck. Lana flinched and collapsed into Clarks arms. He looked down at her in worry and anger. He felt for a pulse. It was slow but still three. He laid her down and stalked to the girl and gripped her arms. "What did you do to her?" He repeated angrily, "Who are you?!"

The girl winced at the pain and shouted, "Clark, you're hurting me! Please let go!" He relaxed and asked calmer, "Answer my questions, right now." She replied, "I'm Rogue and that is Bobby." She pointed a hand at the guy. "She is right; we are friends, of you and Chloe. You can drop the secrecy now. She can't tell anyone right now."

Clark let her go and replied, "I don't remember either of you. I don't remember her or Chloe." He sat down on a chair. He shouted in frustration, "I don't even remember who I am!" Bobby looked concerned and pulled out a cell phone. He dialed a number. "Bart, I know it's late, but get Chloe and bring her the loft. We have a problem with Clark."

Clark walked to Lana who was slowly waking up. Clark helped her to her feet just as a blur came up in front of them. Both Lana and Clark looked in surprise. Clark looked at Chloe as Bart set her down. His mouth opened and he tried to say something.

Chloe looked at Clark in worry. She asked, "Clark, what's wrong?" He cleared his throat and commented, "You are so beautiful. Are you Chloe?" She frowned and looked at Lana. Horrified, she reprimanded, "Bobby, why didn't you tell me Lana was here?" He answered, "Lana saw Clark and me use our powers. Clark has no idea who any of us are." Bart appraised him, "You want to race, stretch?" Chloe called, "Bart. Not now." He backed away and waited. Clark looked at Chloe and asked, "Are we all mutants? Lana tells me the meteor rocks gave us our powers."

Chloe narrowed her eyes and replied, "Yes, they did." Clark tilted his head, "Are you covering something up?" Chloe lowered her eyes for a second and he nodded. "You are, aren't you?" Chloe sighed but smiled at him adoringly, "Even with no memory, you know me better than anyone. I hate you for that." She sniffed the air for a second. She turned to Bobby and Rogue and said, "You know I will never betray you, right?" They nodded. She announced, "Lana, we are mutants. Clark isn't." That took Lana and Clark by surprise. Clark asked, "I'm not a mutant? How do I have powers?"

Chloe answered extremely quietly. Clark leaned in to hear her but she kept him in place. He struggled to hear her. Slowly, he began to hear a soft whisper. He narrowed his eyes in concentration. Finally, he heard, "Kal-El, you are the last survivor of Krypton. You arrived during the meteor shower." He stared at her with a horrified expression. He glanced at Lana with extreme guilt and softly said, "I'm so sorry." He turned to run down the stair and suddenly blurred out of sight. Everyone looked confused and Lana asked, "Chloe, what did you say to him? What is he sorry about?" Chloe looked just as confused, "I don't know; I told him he was the only survivor of Krypton and that he arrived during the meteor shower." Lana suddenly realized and looked toward the stairs. "He came with the meteors. He thinks it's his fault." Chloe turned Lana to face her and questioned, "What does he think is his fault?" Lana replied, "My parent's death." Chloe thought for a second and then frowned. She looked at Bart and asked, "Make sure he stays out of trouble." Bart nods and speeds off.

Chloe sits down and tells Lana, "We really need to talk." Lana nods and sits down with her.


	17. Secrets Revealed

Bart speed throughout Smallville. He stopped in frustration. Clark didn't go as fast as him, but he could definitely avoid being found. He thought of where he might go and then realized. He called Chloe and told them to meet him at the cemetery. He doubled back and sped toward the Kent Farm.

10 minutes later.

Clark walked through the cemetery. He saw a headstone and stopped in front of it. He looked at it with guilt. He kneeled down and placed his hand on the headstone. He heard a rushing sound and looked behind him. Bart set Lana on her feet and steadied her. He then sped away. Clark stood nervously and started to leave. Lana sighed and stepped in front of him. He tried to move around but she moved with him. He ground his teeth in frustration, "Please move." Lana refused, "No. I can be just as stubborn as you, Clark." He commented, "Another thing I don't know." Lana shook her head, "What are you so worried about?" Clark looked at her dumbfounded. "I'm responsible for their death! I killed your parents!" Lana shot back, "So you physically threw the meteor at them? Chloe told how you came here. You were nowhere near the impact that killed my parents. You landed in a cornfield, not Main Street." She calmed down, "Even if your ship had been what killed them, how would you be responsible? You were 6 years old. I highly doubt you were actually piloting the thing." Clark looked away. Lana pulled his face to hers. "I miss my parents deeply, even with no memory you know that." She firmly assured him, "I would have never blamed you for their death. If you remember anything, you remember that. Okay?"

He reluctantly nodded. Lana pulled him into a hug. "Ahem." They turned to see Chloe standing nearby, wearing a mock upset expression. They both pulled away quickly, looking embarrassed. Chloe mockingly scolded, "Don't let it happen again." Lana played along, "Yes, ma'am."

Chloe turned serious, "We have to find the person who erased his memory. Now the only lead we have is that he robbed the Talon and erased Clark's memory in the back alley. Lana, take him to the Talon and have him x-ray the place for any clues." Lana and Clark both repeated, "X-ray?" Lana glanced at Clark nervously and pulled her jacket tighter around her. Clark noticed and reddened, "I would never do anything like that."

Chloe smirked, "Clark, the first x-ray experience you had was a front row seat to the girl's locker room." Lana gaped at him and Clark reddened even more. "Um, I'm going to go and get that clue on my own." He speed away and came back a minute later. He held up a day pass to Chloe. She pulled out her cell and dialed 2. She said, "Hank, could you run a number for me? Day pass for Grand View Motor Cross Park: 583GVM45GRA." She waited and then nodded. She pulled out a paper and pen. "Kevin Grady." She wrote down an address and handed it to Clark. Chloe asked, "Thanks, Hank. Is there any info on Grady?" She listened and frowned. She somberly replied, "That is interesting. Thanks." She hung up and bit her lip. Lana asked what happened. Chloe responded, "Kevin has been a common patient for Summerholt Institute."

Lana looked at her strangely, "Why is that important?" Chloe glanced at Clark and answered, "Summerholt has done experiments on memory retrieval, and more recently, memory suppression and manipulation."

Chloe looked at Clark and told him, "Could you go to this address and see if Kevin has been there? Lana and I will head to Summerholt and see what they're doing." Clark nodded, "Before I go, are there any other powers I have I should know about?" Chloe thought, "You have super hearing, super strength, heat and x-ray vision, and you are bullet-proof. And you are weakened by the meteor rocks. Be careful of any green rocks or liquids. And please don't pick up any red rocks. They're just as dangerous."

He nodded and sped away. Lana asked, "Red rocks are dangerous?" Chloe nodded, "Remember what happened when we got class rings?" She nodded. "The 'gems' were red meteor rocks. That's why Clark acted that way." Lana looked away in thought. "He had said he wanted to tell me everything. This is what he meant, isn't it?" Chloe nodded. "Sorry to seem rushed, but let's go."

One hour later.

Outside shot of Summerholt Institute. Chloe and Lana enter the building and walks down an empty hallway looking at names on the doors that they pass. Chloe sniffs and drags Lana around the corner and out of site as a man and woman come out of a room and walk away from where they are is standing. They are both holding clipboards and talking softly. They continue down the hallway and ends up in a records room with shelves full of notebooks and data CDs. She has Lana wait outside.

She seats herself at a computer and looks through the CDs on the desk. She picks one of them and puts it into the disk drive. A box comes up with a list of items on the CD, the top item being "Kevin Grady's Treatment." She opens a dialogue box where she types her e-mail address and drags the files from the CD into the box. Then she pulls out her cell phone and dials a number. Lois answers the phone. Chloe looks confused but tells her, "Lois incoming, check my email." Chloe grunts in pain as the alarms in the room go off and she turns to leave. A man quickly swings a flash light down at her head knocking her out cold.

Lana is glancing around nervously. She gasps when she is grabbed from behind and dragged from the records room

Clark had gone to the house and spoke with Kevin's father. His story about the accident was sad, but Clark sensed he hadn't been totally honest. He walked into the loft and saw Lois sitting at the computer. She glances at him nervously, "Clark, you've got to look at this. Chloe called and told me to download some files she e-mailed from Summerholt." Clark walks to the computer. He questions, "How'd she get in?"

She answered, "I've learned never to underestimate Chloe, especially when it comes to helping you." Lois plays a video on the computer. We see Kevin on the screen, strapped to a bed at Summerholt.

You don't have to do this! I won't tell anyone, I promise! I won't tell them what happened. I know it was an accident. I know you didn't mean to…

Clark realized, "Kevin didn't kill his brother." Lois leans down to grab her phone while Clark speeds away and she asks, "Smallville, what is going on?" She sees Clark is gone and looks around confused. "Clark?"

Kevin walks through the woods at Audrey Clearing. He flashes back to the day of the accident for a moment. He, his brother Dylan, and his dad are on a hunting trip. They are all wearing flannel jackets and walking through the woods holding rifles. He has another flashback of hearing a gunshot and Dylan falls to the ground. In the present, Kevin looks around the clearing as if trying to remember more. Clark walks up behind him. Clark walks over and speaks up, "Kevin."

Kevin turns around and holds out his hand, about to blast Clark again. He holds up his hands in surrender. "No, it's okay. Listen, I came here to talk to you about Summerholt." Kevin looks surprised, "You're the guy from the Talon. How do you remember me?"

Clark shakes his head, "I don't. Whatever you did to me erased all my memories." Surprised he asks, "All of them? Everyone else, it just wiped out the last few minutes."

"I guess I'm not like everyone else. Look, Kevin, I know it's gonna be hard, but I need to talk to you about the accident. Is this where it happened?"

"Somewhere here." He shouts in frustration, "I know it was somewhere here."

"Just tell me what happened that day."

Kevin flashes back again to loading his rifle. He trips over a tree root and accidentally shoots Dylan.

"Do you have any real memories from that day?"

Kevin has another flash of himself tripping over the tree root. Then he sees someone's finger pulling a trigger, shooting Dylan who falls to the ground with blood splattered on his face as Kevin watches in horror. In the present, Kevin breathes heavily, afraid.

"Kevin, what is it?"

"I'm not sure. I've been trying to block the memories out."

"Or maybe someone has already blocked them out for you."

Kevin has a flash of Dylan getting shot and falling to the ground.

"No. No, I was loading my gun. It was right here."

"But do you actually remember that? Do you remember loading your gun, or do you remember someone telling you that?"

Kevin falls to his knees, and flashes back to the day of the accident. In the flashback he falls to his knees. Then he has a flash of Dylan getting shot. Kevin is kneeling over him and then turns around to see that Mr. Grady is holding the smoking rifle.

Kevin is still on his knees, and he turns back to Clark. "I didn't do it." Clark kneels down next to him. Kevin starts to cry. "It was my dad. How could he do that to me?"

"I'm sorry, Kevin." Kevin looks at him, confused. "I don't get it. I robbed the Talon and I 86-ed your memory. I mean, why would you go through all this trouble for me?"

"I guess I just know what it's like to lose a part of your life."

"I'm sorry there's nothing I can do for you. I mean, our only chance is to break into Summerholt, but there's no way I can get you in there."

"Maybe I can." Kevin looks at Clark questioningly.

A green light begins to shine on Lana's face and she convulses on the table. Then a green bolt of energy shoots down at her from a projector high above the table. But before it hits her, Clark super speeds into the room and stands above her, covering her face with is body. The energy hits him and he has an intense flash of memories just like he had in the alley at the Talon, but now the memories move forward in time as he gains them all back.

As the energy hits Clark in the back, it bounces off of him in two directions and hits the two steel pillars that stand at either side of the table. The enormous pillars fall toward him, and he catches them both, one with each hand. Lois and Sheriff Adams have entered the room and watch in shock. Chloe runs up and sees what is happening. She swallows nervously. She sees Kevin regain consciousness and moves to the shadows.

Lois stares in shock, "Wow." Adams nods, "Dear God in heaven." Clark looks over, realizing that he is being watched. He pushes the pillars away, sending them both in opposite directions. Clark nervously looks at them, "Lois. Sheriff."

Lois jokes, "Guess I shouldn't call you Smallville anymore." Kevin blasts Lois and Sheriff Adams with his energy, and then he points it at Lana. He and Clark make eye contact, and he nods at Clark. Then he leaves. Lois asks irritated, "Clark, are you going to just stand there or untie her? Lana, what are you doing here?" She jumps off the table and shakes her head. "I don't remember." She looks at Clark knowingly and realizes he doesn't remember anything that happened. She walks out of the room and notices Chloe lurking in the shadows. Chloe mouths, "Meet at the barn." Clark hears her but remains quiet.


	18. Clearing the Air

Lana walked up the stairs and discreetly watched Chloe discuss what happened with Clark. Lana also noticed Clark looked somewhat worried, so she guessed he had been told she knew. Lana started to leave and talk later, but Chloe called out, "Lana, I know you're in here. Come on up."

Lana swallowed her nervous and ascended the stairs. Clark was watching her nervously which made her slightly amused. He was likely the most powerful being on the planet, but he was worried about her. She came up and sat down in front of them. She was unsettled of how much it felt like she was in the principal's office at school. She exhaled and spoke up, "I hear you got your full memory back. Welcome back."

Clark lowered his head and asked with fear in his voice, "So what are you going to do now that you know?" Lana sat up straighter, "I haven't really given it much thought. It's a big secret. I want you to know, I will keep it to myself. You and Chloe have been my closest friends for my whole life. I will promise to never tell anyone about this." Clark looked at her with guilt, "I know I can trust you." He ran his hand through his hair, "I just wish you hadn't found out how you did." She looked away biting her lips holding back her anger. "How did you want me to find out? Did you really find me that untrustworthy?"

Clark didn't snap back but calmly said, "I wish I had told you face to face like you deserved. In fact I should have told you from the beginning. It was wrong for us to have lied to you for so long."

Lana opened her mouth in shock and looked ashamed but still upset. "Yes, you should have. But I can understand how hard it would to entrust such a dangerous secret to anyone."

Clark looked her in the eye and said, "It was never that I didn't trust you; I just couldn't put you in danger. My secret has many risks. When Pete first found out, he was nearly killed to get it. Lionel nearly killed me to learn my secret. Lex found out during that whole evil twin incident and nearly killed me for it. Those are some reasons I never told you. Could you imagine what he would have done to you if you had known my secret or Chloe's at that time? I would have been responsible for whatever had happened. I couldn't live with that knowledge."

Lana nodded in understanding. "Well, I feel safer in the belief that I can keep the secret to myself. Everything I have experienced has taught me to keep secrets." She pulled out her purse and hesitated. She opened it and pulled out a red silk scarf with Chinese symbols. She unfolded the fabric and held it to Clark. "I believe that you know what to do with this." Clark opened his mouth in surprise and reached for the element. The symbol lit up when he picked it up. Lana explained, "I don't know how he got it, but Jason had the element and I hid it from him. He and Lex seem to be obsessed with it. The symbols match the ones in the cave and you seem to know the most about them."

Clark looked at her gratefully and stood up. He held up his hand and invited her, "There's something I think you should see." She stood up and accepted his hand. The three of them went to the car and drove to the caves.

Clark led Chloe and Lana through the caves. He reached the end and looked around the room. He pointed his hands at the wall and a bright white light formed through the center of the wall. The light faded and a new room was open. Lana walked in and looked at the table. "How did you find this place?" "It was left for me by my biological father." Lana looked at the table closer and noticed the other element. "You already found one." Clark nodded and walked forward. He placed the element in the slot and they watched as the element glowed and merged with the other element.

Lionel looked at the element he had taken from Crosby. He sighed and put it in his jacket pocket. He started to leave the room and stiffened. The element can be seen glowing brightly in his pocket. After a minute, the glow stops and he collapsed to the floor. A close look at his eyes shows countless rows of Kryptonian symbols. After a second one symbol came into view. It resembled a large Z.


	19. Born Yesterday

Downtown, New York, 9:45 PM

A large man stood in front of a warehouse keeping guard. A group of girls came up and asked if they could go in. The man looked over them and shook his head. The girls pouted and stormed away in anger. Another girl soon walked up to him and asked, "I heard the man in charge has a thing for blondes. Think you could arrange a meeting? Healer." The man leaned forward and made a small cut on the girl's neck. He watched the cut heal up. He nodded and opened the door. She smiled and thanked him.

She walked into the club and sniffed around. She looked over at another large man sitting at a booth. She sauntered over and asked playfully, "What's a guy like you doing alone on a Saturday night? You have got to have someone to be with you."

The man glared at her and replied, "That ain't your business. You may be welcome here, but I make the rules, and you will leave me alone."

She pouted and shrugged, "Well, I thought you would have interested in seeing a woman beat your best racers."

He looked up at her in renewed interest. He denied, "No one can beat my best racers. What do you mean a woman could beat them?"

"I mean exactly what I said. I can race them with my bike and race laps around them."

He set his jaw and stood up. He towered over her and growled, "No one, let alone you could ever beat my racers. You insult me with the very thought." He reached for her shoulder to escort her out.

The next thing he knew, she grabbed his neck and was slammed face down on the table and held down. She herself growled, "You insult me by trying to touch me. Only Clark can touch me."

He forced out, "You let me go right now. This is my place and I give the occupants orders." To emphasize the point, a surge went out from him into her hand.

The woman smirked and forcefully yanked the man up and whispered in his ear, "I don't feel any pain from attacks. Now, I am going to tell you only once: I will race your tournament. Until then, pull the Black Ninja or I will contact your superiors and tell them you have allowed a cheating contestant in their race." She pushed him away and started to leave.

"Wait." She stopped and waited. The man walked up to her and quietly asked, "You told me to pull the Ninja. What do you have on him?"

She smirked and turned to him. She tilted her head, "The question is what you have on him?"

The man looked disturbed, "Nothing. I have suspected he has been cheating, but he has been extremely hard to out. Any one I should to check on him has come back with no idea I had sent them."

The woman narrowed her eyes in thought. "Not only that, but we only see him at races, and even then he always conceals his face. We have no jurisdiction to demand a racer to show his face if he wins. Only the losers must reveal who they are each time. If you have a plan, I'm behind you 100 percent. You put him out of business, you can race and you'll have made yourself a powerful ally."

The woman questioned, "When is the next race?"

"Two hours from now. You really expect to win the race?"

The woman nodded confidently. "I already entered the race. Here's what is going to happen: I am going to race the Ninja tonight and defeat him in a fair match. Plus on a personal note, you will give me 50 percent of the winnings."

"20"

"30"

"25"

"Deal." She shook his head in agreement and turned to walk away. She called out to him, "The Lynx is looking forward to the race."

The man looked at her with interest and told her, "Mr. Connell will be impressed if you win."

Lynx replied quietly to him, "I'm sure you will be." He raised his eyebrow in surprise.

Lana doubled over in laughter. "You actually ran into a tree?"

Clark laughed and nodded. "I just took off and plowed into the trunk. The tree couldn't handle the strain and fell into the cities telephone wires."

Lana chuckles, "So you were the reason that Whitney and I were cut off while we were planning our date."

Clark nodded mischievously, "I was trying to get between the two of you. It seemed the best method. Cut off a teenage girl off of phone benefits they become helpless." Lana playfully smacked her on the arm. They sat quietly for a minute on the way to the Talon. Lana leaned against the window and watched the fields fly by. She sighed and then frowned. She narrowed her eyes and looked closer. "Clark, look over here. Do you see that?"

Clark looked past her and saw a quickly growing white light a few yards away. He squinted to see better when it suddenly exploded outward in a surge of energy. The shock wave rocked the truck and Clark struggled to control the vehicle. It stopped on the left shoulder. Clark looked to Lana, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "Just a little shaky. What was that?"

"I don't know."

He got out of the car and crossed to the other side. He saw Lana step out and walk a few feet behind him. He saw that there was smoke coming up ahead. He heard the sound of crying up ahead and x-rayed the area. His eyes widened in confusion. Lana asked, "Clark, what do you see?" He tried to answer but nothing came out. She sighed and walked forward to the opening. She stopped and stared in confusion. She carefully walked up and knelt down. She reached down and gently picked up the crying infant. She glanced at Clark, "We need to go to the hospital."

Clark nodded, "Let's go. We need to have the baby checked out soon." They walked back to the truck.

Two hours later, a large crowd had formed in a back alley. They were all watching two people standing next to a pair of motorcycles. One was dressed in jet black leather, and the other was wearing a light brown leather duster with black stripes across the back and arms and a leopard spotted helmet. The crowd suddenly became when Mr. Connell walked forward. He looked around the crowd intently. He stopped at one point and smiled. He turned back and addressed the crowd. "Welcome to the Ultimate Race. The contestants today have elected to remain anonymous until the end of the match. The loser will be required to identify himself and the winner can identify himself if he desires." He turned to the drivers and announced, "Start your engines." They mounted the bikes and the engines roared to life. The two drivers looked at each and then looked to the raceway. "Get set." They floored the engines and the engines roared in response. "GO!" The bikes tore forward and the crowd cheered in response.

After about five minutes, the crowd cheered as the drivers came back into view. A man ran to the chalk line and waited. The bikes roared across the line and the man raised a white flag. The majority of the crowd cried in shock. The Black Ninja had never been defeated. The winner calmly stepped off the bike and went to the other driver and extended a hand. The loser took the hand and shook it respectfully. The crowd nodded at the showmanship displayed. The loser released his hand and removed his helmet. The crowd gasped in shock at seeing his face. The left side was deeply scarred. The man looked at the other in expectation. The driver nodded and turned to the crowd. The driver removed the helmet.

Lynx lifted the helmet and let her hair fall down onto her shoulders. The crowd was collectively shocked at seeing a woman racing the Black Ninja and winning the first match. Lynx walked up to Mr. Connell who was looking around the crowd worried and simply said, "Let's have a chat."

Lynx strolled into the building and sat down at a booth. After ten minutes, Mr. Connell walked in and sat across from her. He pulled out a thick handful of hundred dollar bills. He handed her six of them. "I gotta hand it to you, Lynx. The newbie's are rarely the winners. The crowd actually went for you over the Ninja. I am impressed and that don't happen often. Just be careful on not crossing me."

Lynx took the cash from him. She glanced at the bills and eyed him warily. "This is only 1000 dollars. The gate was $8000."

He gazed at her for a second and then smirked. He pulled out more bills and handed them to her. "Can't get past anything past you, can I." She reached for them and tried to pull away. He held on for a second and she gave him a stern look. He let go and asked, "So something tells me you were only a one time racer. I must say that disappoints me. I would be honored to have a racer like you. I could work around your X-Men duties."

Lynx looked at him in shock, "You knew?" He nodded.

"I make it a point to know who comes into my club. You get surprised less that way."

Lynx tilted her head, "Well, something tells me you were looking for someone after the race."

He looked at her warily. "My daughter. She always watches the races. She usually says hello afterward. I couldn't find her after it ended."

Lynx told him, "She left with the trunk out front and the Ninja biker." She looked at him timidly, "The biker is a class one telepath. That is how he usually wins the races. He has the riders slow just enough for him to win at the last minute. He's cheating."

Mr. Connell fists crackled with energy and he growled, "Why are you just now telling me this now? You let them kidnap my daughter!"

Lynx shook her head. "I planned on following him and bringing her back. The trunk has such a strong smell, it took all I had to keep from vomiting earlier."

Mr. Connell looked at her suspiciously. "You planned it?"

Lynx regarded him angrily, "I don't plan kidnappings. I wanted to let you know the lay of the land. I plan to go find your daughter and make the Black Ninja stop rigging the races."

Mr. Connell nodded sternly. "You go do that. I am keeping an eye on you. Don't cross me."

Lynx nodded apprehensively, "See you in a few hours."

Smallville Medical Center

Clark and Lana follow Sheriff Adams down the hallway as she questions Clark. "Last time I checked, babies don't just fall out of the sky, Mr. Kent."

Clark asked, "It left a 30-foot crater, Sheriff. How else would you explain it?"

She sighed in annoyance and allowed, "Well, I can't. That's why we're conducting a little something called an investigation."

Lana asks her, "What's gonna happen to the baby now, Sheriff?"

"Well, he'll be placed with child services until we find a home for him." She stops walking and turns to Clark. "You did good for a change, Mr. Kent. The little critter wouldn't be alive if not for you." She walks away.

Clark whispers to Lana, "This baby's parents, I don't think they're from around here."

Lana raises her eyebrows, "What do you mean? You think the baby's… the baby's not from earth?"

Clark nods, "We found him in a crater, just like my parent found me."

Lana reasons, "Yeah, but when they found you, they found a spaceship. The truth is we don't know what happened on that field." Lana and Clark entering a hospital room where a nurse is holding the baby. Martha and Jonathan are there, too. The baby is crying loudly.

The nurse tells them, "I've tried everything, but he won't stop."

Clarks looks worried, "Is he okay?"

Martha assures them, "If you can believe it, all this crying is a good sign. The doctor said he's perfectly healthy." The nurse tells them, "I will find out if we can get some more formula. Here, Mr. Kent, you take over."

The nurse walks over to Clark to give him the baby. Clark looks panicked, "Me? Well, I… I don't really…" The nurse hands the baby to Clark and the crying stops immediately.

Lana looks impressed, "Wow. Looks like someone has the magic touch." Clark glances at her and gives a small smile.

Clark asked, "When does child services come and take him?"

Martha responded, "They're not. They don't have room for him yet, so he's going to stay in the hospital until they do."

Lana looks shocked, "He can't stay in the hospital. I mean, he… maybe he can come stay with me at the Talon." Martha looks at Jonathan.

Clark speaks up, "Just until they find room for him." Clark looks down at the baby who stares back up at Clark drowsily.

Lynx stalked down the alley sniffing the air. She came to the end and found herself at a dead end. She felt the wall and looked around in confusion. She looked at the ground and her eyes shifted to orange slits. She saw residual heat from three sets of foot prints coming up to the wall. She glanced at the wall and noticed a patch of heat centered on the left section of wall. She glanced at her left hand and tentatively waved her hand over the area. She watched the area glow and the wall seemed to fluctuate. She extended her arms and it went through unhindered. She cautiously walked though and looked around. She looked ahead and saw a high tech door. She bit her lip in thought. She sniffed the air and then smirked. She pulled out her cell and was not surprised to find no reception.

She walked to the door and tried to open it. Not surprisingly, it didn't open. She positioned herself in front of the door and grabbed the handle. She yanked and the handle tore off and left a hole on one side. She gripped the opening and pulled out and the door came off the frame. She tossed it aside and walked into the room. She took a moment to enjoy the look on the face of the security guard. "So, Spike, what did you plan to get from kidnapping Mr. Connell's daughter? Recognition from someone with a lot of influence? Just plain old blackmail? I'm sure once I turn you over to him, the reason won't seem so appealing."

The man shook off his surprise and grew a foot long barb from his right hand. He thrust his arm toward her and it flew at her. It hit her in the stomach and she staggered back. The man ran forward and pushed her against the wall. He grabbed her hand and slammed it against the wall. He grew another barb and drove it in her arm pinning it to the wall. She creamed in pain and glared at him. He stepped back and looked at her smugly. She stared at him for a few seconds. She slowly smiled confidently. She pulled the barb from her stomach. He slowly lost his confidence and swallowed.

Lynx looked at her arm and back at Spike. She casually walked forward pulling her arm past the embedded stake. She mockingly cried, "Oh, the pain. It's unbearable." She rushed him and he brought his hand up. "Stop giving me the stakes." She slowed and ducked under an incoming stake. "I didn't feel like having red meat right now." He swung at her and she backed away. He launched a stake at her and it hit her shoulder. She stopped and pulled it out. She looked at the hole it made in her jacket and slowly glared at him. "Now that was a mistake. This jacket was a gift from Clark." The man sneered and lunged at her. She growled and grabbed his hand. She pulled him closer and threw him at the wall.

He turned to face her and she slammed a fist at his stomach. He doubled over as the air was forced from his lungs. She lifted his hand and drove the stake into his hand. He screamed in agony. "Yeah. I imagine that can't feel too good. Now who do you work for, and what did he pay you to sell out your boss?"

He spat at her and she blinked. "That wasn't the right answer." She slapped his arm and he winced in pain. "Now, same question." He swallowed and answered, "I work for the Ninja. He wanted to study the girl's abilities. Some rock altered her mutation. She could manipulate fire, but with the rock's enhancement she can both burn and freeze things."

Lynx slumped at the news, "It happened in Smallville, didn't it?" She started to pace the room. She regarded her captive. "He is a class one telepath. He wouldn't be able to control a class three mutant. How did he find out about her change?" The man squirmed nervously. Lynx tilted her head, "You spied on her and Mr. Connell. The Ninja hopes to figure out how to enhance his power." She ground her teeth in frustration. "He has no idea what he's getting himself into. These rocks are extremely dangerous. Where did he take her?"

"Smallville. He is going to some little manmade lake. But he went alone. He had some other men take her to a safe house." She turned to leave. "Hey, you can't leave me here."

She looked at him and replied, "Sure, I can." She started to perform a spin kick but ducked under an incoming ball of flame. She rolled to a stop on the floor and smirked up at Mr. Connell and his daughter. "Glad you could join the party."

In the kitchen, Clark is holding the baby wrapped in a blanket. The baby is fussing as Clark tries to feed him from a bottle. Clark asks him, "What's the matter? What's the matter, little guy? Is your milk too cold? Huh?" The baby cries. Clark holds up the bottle and uses his heat vision to warm it up.

He calmingly asks, "Here, try this, try this. Huh? Yeah?" The baby stops crying and drinks from the bottle.

Clark smiles, "There you go. There you go."

Martha enters with a smile on her face. "Clark, I could easily get Chelsea to cover for me at the Talon. You don't have to stay home."

He tells her, "That's okay. I want to stay with him."

"Okay."

"It kind of changes your perspective when you have someone who depends on you for everything."

Martha agrees, "Yeah."

"And I mean everything." He sniffs and looks down at the baby with a grimace. He puts down the bottle.

"Could you hand me a diaper?"

"Oh, sure. Here you go."

Clark puts the baby down on the counter and Martha hands him a diaper.

"Well, listen; you have my number at the Talon and your dad's out in the barn if you need him."

"Okay."

"All right? Have fun." She leaves the kitchen. Clark removes the baby's diaper and shakes his head. Lana comes in and smiles.

Lana jokes, "Clark Kent, changing diapers like a pro."

"You know, this baby stuff is easier than people say. I think I pretty much got it under control." Almost before Clark has finished his sentence, a small stream of baby pee shoots up into the air. Lana laughs. The baby gurgles proudly.

"Nice aim, little guy."

Lana frowns, "Clark, we can't keep calling him little guy. They're gonna make fun of him when he gets to high school."

"Well, um, we found him in Evans Field. Why don't we call him Evan?" Clark picks up the baby.

"I think he likes it." She looks kindly at the baby. "Hello, Evan. This is Clark, and I'm Lana, and we think that you're the most beautiful baby ever."

Clark asks seriously, "You know, Lana, maybe we should take a step back."

"A step back from what?"

Clark goes to the living room and Lana follows. "Well, maybe we shouldn't get so attached." He puts Evan down in his cradle.

"If his father's still alive…"

"Then he never should have left him in that field."

"Lana, we don't know what happened. He could've gone for help. He could be looking for Evan right now."

"Or maybe he isn't. Maybe Evan is an orphan, just like we were." Clark is silenced by that. "Clark, things like this don't just happen. There's a reason he survived and that someone like you found him."

"We found him." They look into each other's eyes emotionally.

The lights start to flicker and they look around in confusion. Then a strong wind and a warm golden glow come from Evan's cradle.

Clark speaks up, "Evan?" The glow becomes so bright it is almost blinding.

"Clark, what's happening?" Before their eyes, Evan seems to change. But the glow is so bright that they have to block their eyes. When it finally fades away, they stare at Evan in wonder. Jonathan runs into the house to see what is going on.

Jonathan asks in concern, "Clark, what…" He looks down and sees Evan. "My God…"

Sitting before them is Evan, but he is no longer a baby. He is a little boy who looks to be 7 years old. He looks at Clark and Lana fearfully.

Lynx stood up and gave a slightly upset look at them. She walked to the guard and reached for the barb. He asked, "Don't pull it too hard." She gave him an indifferent look and yanked the barb loose. The man grunted and glared her. She shrugged and turned to Mr. Connell.

"So what is the deal here? You figure out how far I'm willing to go? See if I can actually be trusted? I must say, your ruse was believable up until I smelled you and your daughter hiding in the next room."

The daughter looked shocked, "You knew we were here the whole time? Why did you continue the act?"

Lynx pointed at her damaged outfit. "Spike ruined my favorite outfit. I couldn't let that stand, Ms. Connell."

The daughter smiled, "Please, call me Allison. I am going to like having you as an ally. You don't let people walk all over you. I respect that."

Lynx looked at her concerned, "When did the meteor rocks affect you?"

Allison replied, "The rocks used in an attempt to kill me. The explosion put me in a coma for two months." She snapped her fingers and a green flame came off her thumb. "I had more control over the combustion and it also seemed to make it freeze as well."

Lynx stared fearfully at the green flame. "Let's go to a more private location. I need to know something."

They left and Lynx pulled out her phone. "Clark, meet me at the mansion."

Martha asked, "Where is Evan now?"

Jonathan replied, "In the loft with Lana and Clark. I've never seen anything like it. Last night he was just a baby. His growth spurt was really amazing."

"And frightening. Evan needs to be seen by a doctor. We have to take him back to the hospital."

"I know, but I seriously doubt they would believe us." He sighed and sat down.

Clark sped into the kitchen. "I have to go. Chloe just called from New York; apparently a mutant was affected by kryptonite."

Jonathan looked concerned, "I know that is a problem but we have a more pressing problem with Evan."

Clark thought for a second and nodded. "I can bring them here and deal with both. I've done double duty before." He walked outside and jumped skyward.

Mr. Connell stood in the driveway, "Lynx, how long do we have to wait here? I want to know about the meteor rocks."

Allison rolled her eyes, "Dad, cool off. People have lives too, you know."

He shook his head, "I need to get home. I have things to do."

Lynx sniffed and looked up. "He's here." She walked forward and waited. Clark flew in and landed in front of her. She smiled and pulled him into a hug. She kissed him and asked, "Did you miss me, flyboy?"

"You know I did, Chloe." He looked around at the two strangers. "What is with the welcoming committee?"

Mr. Connell looked at him sternly, "Listen kid. I could take you down with one shot. Show me some respect."

Clark looked at him and told him, "I don't know you but respect is earned, not expected."

Allison smirked and leaned toward Mr. Connell. She whispered, "I like him."

Mr. Connell shrugged her off and stared at Clark for a moment. He thrust his hand out and let a bolt of energy at him. It hit Clark in the chest. He and Allison looked at his shirt which was burned slightly. Their mouths hung open in shock while Chloe smirked at them.

Chloe spoke up, "Clark, Allison Connell was once attacked by someone using meteor rocks. It enhanced her powers." She bit her lip and said, "Stand about 10 feet away from her."

He looked at her confused but moved to ten feet. Lynx turned to Allison and instructed, "Show him the flame. Please keep it small." She nodded and snapped her fingers. The flame sprung up and Clark looked on in interest.

Chloe told him, "Slowly reach for the flame." Clark slowly extended his arm and flinched in pain. Everyone watched as his hand paled and the veins took on a green tint.

Allison looked shocked and said, "It's never had that effect before." She walked closer to Clark. He grunted and doubled over. Chloe rushed forward and firmly pushed Allison away from him.

Chloe looked at Allison and coldly advised, "That is too close." Allison nodded and killed the flame.

She looked worriedly at Clark, "Are you okay? What just happened?"

Clark looked at her and replied, "That is what I want to know." He looked at Chloe and said, "We can get back to Smallville and work on this there. We have a situation right now."

Chloe immediately asked, "What's the situation?"

Clark answered, "Lana and I found a baby in Evan's Field about 10 hours ago." He hesitated and continued, "The child is currently appears to be a seven year old."

Chloe's eyes went wide and swallowed. "Let's go." She grabbed onto Clark. She looked at the Connell's. "Grab on and hold on tight." They complied. Clark kneeled down and shot into the sky. They flew toward Smallville.

Lana enters the loft where Evan is sitting on the couch and reading to himself from a story book.

He read, "You must be very kind to him, to teach him all he needs to know in Rabbit Land, for he is going to live with us forever and ever."

Lana sits next to him and looks at him with a smile of amazement. "You know how to read?"

He nodded, "I've read all of Clark's books, but this is my favorite. I also like the encyclopedia."

Lana looked at him confused, "The encyclopedia, huh? That's a pretty long book."

"I know. I stopped on 'W.' Windmills. Did you know they were invented in Persia?"

Lana stares at Evan with wide eyes, realizing that he is telling the truth.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

She cleared her throat, "Um… you are a very, very special boy, Evan. I think that you are the most special little boy that I have ever met."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And you're really lucky, because there are so many more books for you to read and so many places for you to see."

He excitedly, "Like what?"

"Like a real windmill. And when you stand up on top of it, the whole world stretches out around you."

Clark walked up the stairs and smiled as he watched them. Lana finished talking and glanced over. She smiled as he walked over to them. Evan looked over and jumped up. He ran to Clark and hugged him tightly. "Dad, mom is going to take me to see a windmill."

Clark looked completely shocked and looked to Lana for an explanation, "Dad?"

Lana looked worried and shrugged. "I haven't said anything. I don't why he said that."

Evan looked up confused, "What did I say?"

Chloe walked up the stairs with Allison behind her. Chloe jokingly commented, "I'm gone for a few hours and you two had a kid. I'm not leaving you alone again without a chaperone."

Lana gave a small smile and Clark turned dark red. Chloe took a moment to enjoy his discomfort. She spoke up, "Anyway, I think we should get both Evan and Allison to McCoy's and run some tests." Clark and Chloe nodded and he picked her up. They speed away and left Lana and Allison with Evan.

Evan looked scared, "I don't want any tests. The ones in the encyclopedia looked painful."

Allison walked forward and knelt in front of him, "You don't really know me, but Chloe is best friends with Clark and Lana. If they feel okay with me, do you think you could give me a chance?"

Evan looked at her nervously, "I think I could do that."

Allison nodded, "Clark tells me you were born a few hours ago. That makes you a special young man." She smirked at him, "I'm special, not like you, but I'm special too. Do you want to see my special gift?" He nodded.

She looked to Clark and he backed away. She looked back at Evan and snapped her fingers. The flame lit up and Evan jumped in surprise. He opened his mouth in awe and held up his hand. He smiled as the heat warmed his hand. Allison narrowed her eyes for a moment and then told him, "Now touch it." He looked unsure. "Trust me."

He carefully put his fingertip on the flame. He pulled back and looked at his finger. "It's freezing."

"The meteor rocks have enhanced my powers. I can control fire and also freeze things with fire. It is extremely unusual."

Evan smiled at her. His smile faded and he doubled over in pain. Lana ran to him and asked, "Evan, what's wrong?"

He grunted, "I don't know." He looked at her with fear and she watched him begin to glow. She slowly felt his face and drew back after a moment. She rose and backed away. She gestured for Allison to come along. Allison tried to go around Evan but the burst of light was keeping her from moving.

Lana ran down the loft stairs and glanced up in fear and worry. Jonathan and Mr. Connell ran into the barn and looked concerned. Jonathan asked, "What happened?"

Lana inhaled, "It happened again. I think Allison is still up there." They all looked concerned and ran up to the loft. They found Evan kneeling over Allison, feeling for a pulse. Lana and Jonathan looked awestruck and swallowed.

Evan looked toward them, "She's okay. Her pulse is steady and her breathing is normal. Let's get to McCoy's and figure out what's going on."

Lana and Mr. Connell sat in the waiting room. Lana glanced, "So, are you a mutant?"

Mr. Connell glared at her and Lana nervously looked down. He answered, "Yeah. Both me and Ally are."

Lana kept her eyes down and asked, "What are your gifts?"

Mr. Connell stopped glaring and looked at Lana, "You are the first human I've known who has called it a gift."

"Well, with Chloe, she is super strong, heals almost instantly, and doesn't experience pain. I don't know what yours is but I would imagine it's powerful. Chloe told me you are a class 4 mutant."

"Well, you surprised me. I am not normally treated with respect by humans."

Lana looked at him, "Why not? You are a person who has a personaility; cares for family members and wants to live a normal life."

He looked at her with surprise. "I am surprised once again. You are not what I expected."

Lana gave a small smile. She looked up and saw Chloe walk out looking worried.

Lana stood up and asked, "Chloe, what is it?"

Chloe looked at Lana and replied, "We finished our scans and they are fine for now. Allison still is able to use the fire to freeze but the meteor radiation is gone. Evan has been moved to a bunker. The mutation he has turned effectually made him a rechargeable battery. Unfortunately, the next time he recharges, he will unleash a explosion equal to an atom bomb the size of a golfball. The bunker will contain it but Evan won't survive the event."

Mr. Connell shook his head, "No one deserves to die like that."

Lana asked, "Isn't there something they can do to help him?"

Chloe sighed, "Hank believes a bone marrow transplant from a parent but Xavier tells me that he located the father but he won't want to help."

Lana asked, "Why doesn't he force him to help?"

Chloe replied, "The professor doesn't force people against their will."

Lana shouted, "Someone's life is at stake and he can't force the man's hand?! That pretty shortsighted."

Mr. Connell placed his hand on Lana's shoulder. She glared at him. He said, "Don't worry. He'll get the transplant." Lana looked at him in confusion as he pulled out a cell phone.

A man walked in the auto garage and asks the service agent with a deep voice, "Excuse me. Does Tanner Sutherland work here?"

"Yeah, he's over there." The man points to the back of the garage with his wrench.

"Thank you." He walks to the back where Tanner is working on another car. Tanner is hidden behind the lifted hood of the car.

"Are you Tanner Sutherland?

"Leave your car around back, I'll get to it." The man around the hood to see Tanner.

"Have you been at Evan's Field recently?"

"Uh, I don't remember. I…"He wipes his hands with a rag, avoiding eye contact. "I think I was working."

"So you didn't call the police from there?"

Tanner "What do you want? Who the hell are you?"

"I'm a friend of the people who found your son, lying in the middle of a field.

Look, dude, I don't have a son, and... and I don't know what you're talking about, all right? I got work to do. He tries to walk away and the man calmly tells him to stop.

Tanner blinks in surprise as he stops in his tracks. "Turn around." Tanner slowly turns to face the man. "Your son needs your help. You will follow me and assist him."

Tanner nods dumbly and they walk from the garage.

20 hours later.

Evan slowly woke up and opened his eyes. He blinked several times to get used to the light above his face. He began to sit up and winced as dull pain echoed in his lower back. He sat back down and looked around the room. He recognized the exam room that Clark had taken him to. He looked down and saw an intercom button. He pressed it, "Hello? Is someone there?" He waited and after three minutes, a door opened. Clark, Chloe, and Lana walked in with relieved expressions. Lana told him, "Welcome back to the land of the living. How are you feeling?"

Evan smiled softly and answered, "Better." He became serious and asked, "Did it work?"

Clark nodded. "The bone marrow was successful. You stopped aging like you did. Hank tells us you are still going through the recharging process and he believes that you might develop some form of energy ability in the future."

Evan sighed, "I guess I owe Allison's father and my real father my life." He looked sad, and asked, "He didn't come on his own, did he?"

They both sadly shook their heads. Clark told him, "Some people don't measure up to your expectations when it comes to being a father. People like Tanner Sutherland won't leave up to the responsibility when they have a child."

Evan looked at them, "So what happens to me? What happens to a teenager who was born yesterday?"

Chloe spoke up, "Well, you are going to be here one more day for post-op, but Hank will be stopping by later to discuss some options with you. You might be a three days old, but you can make your own decisions."

Evan nods. "I do have one favor to ask once I get out of here."

Chloe nods, "You name it."

Evan and Lana are standing at the top of the windmill looking down. Evan smiles at the view, "You were right. The whole world is right there. It's beautiful." They see miles and miles of fields and trees. The Metropolis skyline is barely visible in the distance under a blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds.

Lana smiled, "I'm glad you finally got a chance to see it."


	20. Commencement

Starts at the end of Forever.

Chloe frowned as she flexed her fingers. "So the bones were completely unsalvageable?"

Hank nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, it seems Brendan's abilities negated your healing factor in the complex tissue. It is lucky that the skin provided some protection from leaving them uncovered. I was worried the skin would not completely heal the correct way."

Chloe sighed. She focused and inch long claws extended from each of her fingertips. She glanced at Logan and told him, "If I ever complain for not having fingers, feel free to remind me of what you went through."

Logan shrugged, "It isn't pleasant is it?"

She shook her head in agreement. She retracted the fingers claws. She extended her thumbs and transparent green claws came out. She looked at Hank and asked seriously, "Tell me why you decided to put these in as well."

Hank swallowed and replied nervously, "We all agree that Clark is our friend and we all trust him." Chloe stared at him unconvinced. Hank sighed, "As much as I trust him, the threat posed by red kryptonite is too great to overlook. I felt that some insurance if another incident occurred would best be handled by you."

Chloe looked at him upset, "So you decide I would be the most appropriate choice to potentially kill him?"

Hank lowered his heads in shame and frustration. Logan spoke up, "Kid, we don't want Clark to die, but what happens the next time he puts on a school ring?"

"We destroyed all of them."

"Okay, what if he wanders across a chunk of the stuff in Smallville?"

Chloe raised her voice in anger, "We could have dealt with that when the time came."

Logan shot back, "Thanks to Hank's plan, we have a plan set up already."

She ground her teeth and turned away in frustration. Hank quietly told her, "The metal in the thumb bones are lined with lead in order to protect Clark. You won't need to worry about hurting him by mistake."

Chloe scowled and coldly told him, "That is good planning. Real good work." She turned and left the infirmary. Hank sighed in remorse as she stormed out.

Logan assured, "She is just upset, Doc. She'll be fine. That girl can't stay mad for long."

Hank glanced at him and said, "I hope she can forgive me in time."

Two weeks later.

Chloe and Lana stood looking at the hallway display and frowned while Clark and Evan sat on a nearby bench looking bored. Lana looked hesitant and commented, "This is the only color they have for the gowns? It doesn't look very appealing."

Chloe nodded troubled, "Yep. This is the color."

Lana shook her head in disbelief. "Why didn't they just stick with yellow? That's what they've used for the last 5 years. What made them decide to change it now? I had the perfect shoes to match the yellow."

Chloe shrugged. Evan rolled his eyes and spoke up, "What does it matter? That is what they picked out this year. I don't see what difference it makes. Clark and I already have our outfits and you don't see us complaining."

The two girls just gazed at him and directed their attention back to the display. Evan sighed, "I don't see what the big deal is. I know it only happens once but just accept what you get. I should know." He lowered his voice for Chloe and Clark only, "I'm probably the first and only three month old who is graduating High School."

Chloe corrected, "It's a GED. You technically won't graduate since you never went to Smallville High."

Evan shrugged, "I wish I could get to walk down with the three of you, so I am considering it to be graduating."

Lana smiled, "After the graduation, we will have our own ceremony where you will called up for your diploma. How does that sound?"

Evan nodded, "Yeah, I think that would be fun."

Lana smiled and commented, "We only have a few hours left as seniors. Chloe, you owe me 45 dollars."

Clark and Evan looked confused while Chloe replied, "Not so fast, Ms. Lang. The bet was to make it past graduation day alive. We still have till tomorrow night."

Clark admonished, "That is a very disturbing idea. I can't believe you two."

Chloe rolled her eyes and whispered, "Come on, Clark. We have the man of steel and a mutant feline patrolling the town. We're just playing around."

Clark stood and hugged Chloe. "We don't need to worry about meteor freaks or mutants today. We just need to worry about finding Lana a new pair of shoes for graduation." Everyone busted up laughing at that. "We probably should start now, we may be a while." Lana mockingly shot him a hurt look and scolded him.

Clark excused himself, "I have to go finish the chores on the farm; I will see you tomorrow tonight at the ceremony." He looked around and sped away. After getting home, Clark finished the chores at a normal rate and walked up the house around 10pm. He lay down on the couch and went to sleep.

Lana walked into her apartment and set her purse on the counter. She went to check her messages when she heard Genevieve's voice behind her. "Ms. Lang, I salute you for leading my son along for as long as you have. He normally is so strong minded, except when it comes to you."

Lana swallowed and faced her. "What do you want, Mrs. Teague?"

"The element."

Confused, she replied, "I don't have the element." She stopped as the older woman suddenly revealed a pistol.

"Don't toy with me, Ms. Lang. I know Lex has given you the element; now I want you to give it to me."

Lana swallowed and repeated, "I don't have the element."

Genevieve eyed her closely. "But you know where it is, don't you?"

Lana glanced away and Genevieve smiled. She walked forward and told her, "You're going to take me to it."

Lana looked at her in fear, "I don't know where it is."

The older woman scowled and stalked over to Lana. "Stop lying. You are not good at it."

She runs toward the door but Genevieve grabs her hair, stopping her. They struggle against each other as Genevieve knocks Lana into a lamp which topples to the ground. Then she pushes Lana in the other direction where Lana falls down, pushing over a tray.

Lana quickly gets back onto her feet and Genevieve grabs her by the shoulders, violently slamming her against the shelves on the wall. Lana punches Genevieve across the face, but Genevieve doesn't release her grip. They both fall to the floor with Genevieve above Lana. She wraps her fingers tightly around Lana's throat and chokes her.

Lana's grunts are silenced as her airway is cut off and she is powerless to defend herself. Then her eyes suddenly flash a brilliant purple. The sadistic smile on Genevieve's face fades when she sees the color in Lana's eyes, and Lana grabs Genevieve's arms roughly, pushing Genevieve onto the ground and kneeling over her. Genevieve gasps, "Isobel."

Isobel looked to Genevieve's purse and reached out. An element flies into her hand and she grips it with both hands, holding it above her head with the point facing downward. Then she slams it down into Genevieve's chest, stabbing her through the heart. Genevieve gasps. There is a small burst of bluish-white light that comes from the stone as blood begins to trickle down Genevieve's jacket. The element flies from her grip and imbeds itself in the hallway wall. A bright white light washes over Lana as a wind blows her hair back from her face and she closes her eyes, breathing heavily and smiling. The tattoo on her back is exposed as her shirt rides up. It glows purple and disappears. Genevieve's eyes close and she dies.

Lex stops as the element lands in the wall. He looks over and carefully pulls it out. He wipes it clean and pockets it. He then walks into the apartment.

As the spirit of Isobel has left Lana, she looks down at the blood covering her hands with fear. She backs away from Genevieve's body near tears, still holding her hands in front of her. Then she turns to the door and sees that Lex has entered. He is still dirty and disheveled from his adventure in the woods and he stares at Lana wordlessly. She stares back at him, trembling

Inside, Clark is asleep on the couch. Dim blue and red light flashes on his face and wakes him up. He sits up on the couch and the television turns on behind him, showing static. The lights flicker as well as a fire starts itself in the fire place and the hands on the grandfather clock spin wildly. The radio turns itself on and the dial turns back and forth, causing an unintelligible din of static and fragments of spoken words.

Shelby barks anxiously and runs to the front door. He goes up on his hind legs and scratches at the door. Clark gets up from the couch slowly and goes to the door. He opens it and a blinding white light fills the house from outside. Shelby runs out the door and down the stairs, barking into the sky where the colored light is shining down. Clark follows the dog down the stairs and also looks into the sky where in the distance he can see huge layers of misty colors ebbing and flowing in front of the stars.

Clark doesn't seem particularly worried, but Shelby continues to bark frantically. The dog finally runs back into the house as Clark continues to look at the light. Within a few seconds, all of the light waves converge into one bright white ball that crashes toward Clark

Clark bolted upright and gasped for air. He looked in front of him and saw his parents looking at him worried.

Martha tries to calm him, "Clark! It's okay; it's just a bad dream."

Jonathan told him, "You scared the daylights out of us yelling like that."

"What?"

Martha stays, "You kept yelling "It's coming!" over and over." Clark is sweating and he looks toward the window fearfully.

A large meteor is floating through space and suddenly breaks into thousands of tiny pieces which are headed straight for Earth.

Countdown: 14:20:01.78 to 14:19:56.83

In Lex's study, Lana is standing over a silver basin full of water, compulsively trying to wash the blood off her hands. She is breathless and crying as she speaks to Lex.

"She was coming at me, it happened so quickly. I don't even remember stabbing her."

Lex walks to the basin with a pitcher of water. "Lana, I want you to take a deep breath and try to relax." Lex holds Lana's hands still as he pours the water over them.

"Lex, a woman is dead because of me. I killed her."

Lex tells her calmly, "No, no. You had no choice. You did what anyone would do if their life was at stake." Lex gives Lana a towel to dry her hands and leads her to the couch. They sit down.

"I have to tell Jason. She was his mother."

"I'll deal with Jason."

Panicked, she stands and shouts, "Lex, there's a body in my apartment. I have to go the police. I have to tell them what happened."

"Lana, I'm not sure that's such a wise idea. Genevieve Teague was a powerful woman, married to an extremely powerful lawyer. Even though it's clearly self defense, Edward Teague is gonna make sure the jury sees otherwise. And don't worry; I've taken care of the body."

She looks confused, "What's gonna happen to me? I'm gonna go to prison."

"No. I've retained one of the best defense attorneys in the country. And once he arrives from New York, we'll go to the authorities."

"Ok. Thank you."

Lex embraces Lana and takes a deep breath. "You have to trust me. Until the lawyer arrives, I want you to stay here and talk to no one." Lana doesn't respond. Lex kindly looks at her and smiles consolingly. He leaves and pulls out the partially bloody element. He smirks and walks out.

Clark, Martha, and Jonathan are in the kitchen drinking coffee.

"I can't help but feel this is some kind of warning."

Martha assures him, "Clark, it was nothing but a bad dream."

Jonathan says, "You used to have nightmares all the time when you were little, remember?"

"This time is different. It felt so real. And if it is a warning I need to do something."

"Yeah, what you need to do is you need to get some shut-eye so that you're not half asleep tomorrow when they hand you that diploma."

"Your dad's right. Don't let a nightmare spoil your high school graduation."

Lois comes down the stairs in her pajamas and bunny slippers. She scoffs, "Nightmare? So that's what all this commotion is about?"

Jonathan tells her, "Hello, Lois."

Lois says, "Clark, you know, if it makes you feel any better, I have them all the time. I had this one last week. Really scary. This, uh, guy wearing a red cape was flying me somewhere."

Clark consoles her with little sincerity, "Oh, that sounds horrible, Lois."

"Yeah. There's something I wanted to tell all you guys. I just didn't know when to, so I guess 2 in the morning is good a time as any."

Martha frowns, "What is it, Lois?"

"Oh, the general recruited me on a recon mission to track down my sister the drifter in Europe. So, we're headed for Heidelberg tomorrow."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

Clark tries not to smile.

"Clark, I know how devastated you must be but if you could just keep your tears to a minimum, I'd appreciate it."

"I'll try."

"Thanks. Mr. and Mrs. Kent, I just wanted to say thanks for everything. You guys are like the mom and dad I've always wanted to have."

Jonathan and Martha smile. Jonathan says, "Lois, we want you to know that you are welcome back here any time."

Clark tries to speak, "Actually…"

Martha quickly interrupts, "We'll all miss you, Lois." Clark shuts his mouth and smiles politely, giving in.

"I'll miss you all, too."

Shelby stands up on his hind legs and rests his front legs on the counter next to Lois, whining sadly.

"Him? Not so much."

The meteors continue their flight to Earth, several of them crashing into the moon on the way causing huge explosions of gray dust.

Inside, a man is sitting in a control room reading a magazine. Sounds from the radars get his attention and he puts down the magazine to look. On the radar screen he sees the meteors coming toward Earth.

"Sir, you had better take a look at the right ascension."

Another man comes over to look at the screen. "How long has there been activity?"

"There was nothing there 10 seconds ago. It just came out of nowhere."

"My God. It's headed straight for Earth."

Countdown 09:18:48.99 to 09:18.45.04

In the loft, Clark looks at the mirror in frustration tying his tie for graduation. Lois smirks at him as she climbs the stairs to the loft.

"I realize hand-eye coordination isn't one of your strong suits. Here, let me help you with that."

Lois takes the tie away from him and puts it around her own neck to tie it for him.

"Lois, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do without you."

"Ah, come on, Clark, your future is laid out right in front of you. You're gonna go to community college, major in agriculture, probably minor in law enforcement. And then you and Chloe are gonna have a nice little church wedding."

"Excuse me?"

"It's written in the stars and you know it. It's only a matter of time before you join the bowling league, take over the family farm, and then, well, you and Chloe can bring little Clark junior into the world."

"I think you're hallucinating."

"No. Hallucinating would be imagining Clark Kent going off to the big city to make his mark in the world. I'm just being realistic."

Lois finishes tying the tie and slips it off her neck. She puts it around Clark's neck and roughly tightens it, causing Clark to gasp.

"Lois, what are your big plans after Europe? You gonna go back to school? Maybe actually stay a little while?"

"I have a feeling that if I'm gonna get an education, it's gonna be in the real world." She sits on the couch. "You know, I took this career test in some magazine. It said that my perfect job would be a radio disc jockey."

"That makes sense. You talk enough. There won't be any dead air."

Lois gives him a mild glare, "You mock me now Smallville, but you just wait and see."

"Journalism. You ever thought about that? You wrote some half decent articles in your short lived career at the Torch."

"Nah, kill me first. Even if I could spell, the last thing I'd wanna do is spend my time in a newsroom. With my luck I'd probably end up across the desk from the most bumbling reporter on the masthead."

Clark finishes adjusting his tie. It is crooked. Lois hides a smile, "You know what? You actually look handsome for a change."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Lois stands up and goes to fix the tie. "Look, I know we've had our disagreements in the past. And I will be the first to admit that I've made it my own little hobby to bust your chops."

"I'm used to it. Besides, I know I haven't been the most gracious host."

"Look, I just want you to know, Clark, that when I'm sitting in the audience today at your graduation and you stand up on that stage in front of all those people, I'm gonna be looking up at you and thinking one thing."

He looks at her worried, "What's that?"

"Please, God, don't let him trip." She punches him in the chest and leaves. "See you." Clark laughs, shaking his head.

A small stage is set up on the grass outside Smallville High where the principal talks into a microphone, reading off the names of the graduates. The families of the students are seated in three blocks of chairs in front of the stage. The graduates all stand together in red and yellow caps and gowns and they wait for their names to be called. As the principal reads each name, a graduate walks across the stage and takes a diploma. The audience cheers.

The principal announces, "Darren Cooper. Caroline Creese. Cody Davis. Erica Feldman. Lauren Feldman."

Clark and Chloe stand next to each other in the line and they walk slowly toward the stage.

Clark leans over to Chloe, "Did you see Lana yet?"

Chloe looks unsure, "Still no sign. I'm starting to get worried. Lana's never so much as had a tardy. She's not gonna miss her high school graduation."

He nervously comments, "She'll be here." They part ways at the head of the line to walk to opposite ends of the stage.

The principal continues, "Michael Hall. Holly Harold. Tanya Hart. Kate Horton. Michael Hoover. Hannah Jacobs. Michelle Jewel."

Clark and Chloe get to the stage as Martha and Jonathan watch from the audience. Lois and Evan are seated with them. Martha excitedly says, "Oh, there's Clark."

"Clark Kent." Jonathan, Martha, Evan, and Lois stand up and cheer. Lois puts her fingers in her mouth and whistles loudly as Jonathan snaps a picture. Clark smiles as he takes his diploma and walks across the stage.

"Lana Lang."

Clark's smile fades at the mention of Lana's name. The principal turns around and says something quietly to the man giving out diplomas. The man shakes his head and the principal comes back to the microphone.

They repeat, "Lana Lang."

Martha looks at Jonathan and Lois questioningly and Chloe and Clark exchange a worried glance. Chloe tilts her head and glances away to the street. After several seconds, a siren can be heard approaching as large military trucks drive up toward the school. A man in one of the trucks speaks through a megaphone as the trucks drive onto the grass. Other men jump out of the trucks wearing helmets and carrying guns.

The man announces into the megaphone, "Attention! Remain calm! By order of the Federal Emergency Decree: All non-essential personnel should evacuate the area within a 50 mile radius. In approximately 3 hours, a meteor shower is predicted to hit Smallville."

Martha covers her mouth in shock, "Oh, my God. Not again." The audience stands up and starts to run away. The graduates leave too.

The man announces, "Please remain calm. There's no need to panic. Please proceed to your home and carry only necessary items." Clark takes off his cap and gown and steps off the stage. Chloe runs to him worriedly and they walk together.

She whispered, "Hey, Clark! Can you believe it? Twice in 16 years. I mean, this is crazy! Smallville's gotta have some sort of extraterrestrial bull's eye on it!"

He nods, "I wonder if this is what that dream was about?"

She repeats, "What dream?"

"Last night I had a strange dream where I saw a bright light in the sky. It came right at me."

She nervously asks, "Do you think Jor-El is responsible for this?"

"I wouldn't put it past him. Whatever is happening, we don't much time, we need to find Lana. You go check her apartment and I'll go talk to Jor-El."

Lois walks up to them. All three of them walk to Chloe's car in the parking lot. Clark asks Chloe, "You and Lois get ready to leave town. Stop by the Talon and see if you find anything to indicate if Lana is in any trouble."

Lois objects, "Look, I'm sure she's already out of town. They've evacuated half of the county. They probably saw her running in late and told her to leave town."

Clark nods and they arrive at the car.

"Now listen to me, Smallville, if there's one thing that the General has taught me is that you cannot panic in times of crisis. Do you hear me? Okay, whatever happens, you have to stay calm. You cannot panic."

"Lois…"

She starts to panic, "Because if you lose your cool…"

Chloe and Clark both shout, "Lois!"

"What?"

Chloe tells her, "You're panicking."

She glares and says, "Fine." Lois and Chloe get in the car and Clark looks around at all the panicked people running away.

Chloe pulls up to the Talon and tells Lois, "Wait right here. I'm going to see if Lana let a note or anything." She gets out of the car and runs inside. She walks up the stairs and slows as she gets closer to the apartment. She narrows her eyes in confusion and cautiously goes inside. She sniffs and gets a look of queasiness. She kneels and put her face closer to the floor. She opens her mouth in shock and stands up quickly. She sniffs some more and sighs. "Lex was here recently with Genevieve. How nice of him to clean up his mess."

She looked around the room more and saw the damaged wall. She looked through the opening and walked into the hall. She saw the hole caused from the stone and sniffed the opening. She exhaled in frustration, "Lex has one of the stones. Clark is not going to like this." She turns and leaves the Talon.

Clark opens a box in the loft and pulls out the octagonal spaceship key. He looks at it for a moment, then turns to go. Lex is standing there. Clark hides the key behind his back. He asks casually, "Lex, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to offer to you and your parents' safe passage out of here in the LuthorCorp jet. The roads will be pretty ugly soon."

"Thanks, but I think we'll be okay." Clark sticks the key in his pocket and shifts his eyes nervously.

"Clark, why take the risk? The first meteor shower caused me irrevocable damage. Trust me, you don't want to be near here when the next one hits."

"Thanks, Lex, but I think my dad's gonna want to pack up the truck with as much as we can take."

"I understand. Some things simply can't be replaced." Lex walks toward the window and looks up at the sky. He pauses and says, "Clark, my scientists have identified what seems to be an inner chamber inside the cave wall."

Clark's eyes widen, but he remains calm. He swallows and says, "Really?"

"I was wondering if your research into the cave might have turned up anything similar."

"No. Um, but Lex, why are you so interested in the caves when there's a natural disaster headed our way?"

"Clark, if anything in this town is irreplaceable it's those caves." Clark nods in agreement. "They've been around for thousands of years and they can very well be destroyed in the next 24…"

He interrupts, "Well, let's hope they're not. I really need to help my parents. Good luck, Lex."

"Thanks, Clark, but I don't believe in luck. It's our wits and our fortitude to keep us safe. And I'm sure you have more than enough of both. Stay safe."

Countdown 02:21:03.83 to 02:20:58.97

Clark enters the inner chamber of the Kawatche cave. He looks down at the stone altar and speaks to the emptiness of the chamber.

"You're my father. Talk to me."

He puts the octagonal key into a slot in the altar. "Tell me what you've done!" There is a flash of light and Clark is surrounded by swirling blue energy. Jor-El's voice fills the cave.

**It was you who brought this upon yourself, Kal-El.**

"What did I do?"

**I sent you here to unite the three elements**.

"The stones? They have nothing to do with me!"

**But they do, Kal-El. For the knowledge of the universe is meant for you only. Yet you chose to deny your heritage. Today, you will witness the consequences. **

"Then you sent the meteor shower?"

**I have done nothing, Kal-El. Human blood has stained one of the elements and awakened a great danger from the darkness of space**.

"What can I do to stop it?"

**There is nothing you can do to prevent what is already in motion. But the meteor shower is just the beginning, Kal-El. I warned you that the elements could not fall into the hands of a human. The three must become one. It is the only way to save Earth from total annihilation**

"I don't know where the last one! I don't have time to find it!"

**If you don't unite them at once, you, my son, will be seared by a fire from the sky even you can't survive. The future of mankind rests in your hands, Kal-El. **

"Please... help me! I can't do this alone!" The light fades and Clark is back in the caves. He grits his teeth in anger and speeds out.

Countdown: 0:45:10.83 to 0:45:06.87

Shelby runs out the front door of the Kent home and down the stairs toward the street closely followed by Martha who is holding a folded yellow blanket. They rush toward the truck parked in the street. The back of the truck is overflowing with packed items that Jonathan is securing with a rope.

Martha exclaims, "I can't believe I almost forgot this!"

"That's great, sweetheart. I almost have the truck all loaded up."

"Great. Shelby, load up." Martha points to the open door of the truck, signaling Shelby to jump in just as Clark super speeds up to them.

Jonathan looks gratefully at him, "Clark, great. Would you help me secure the truck?"

He nervously tells them, "You're gonna have to go without me.'

Martha fearfully asks, "What?"

"Do I have to remind you, Clark, that the last time we had a meteor shower, it was full of kryptonite?"

"If the same happens today it could kill you. You have to come with us."

"I spoke to Jor-El. He told me I have to find the other stone right now, and unite them with the ones in the cave."

Martha shakes her head forcefully, "NO! You're my son. You're not gonna go on some kind of suicide mission.

"Clark, you might be stronger than steel, but you're not invincible."

"I know, Dad. But I'm the only one who can do this."

Jonathan and Martha look at each other then back to Clark. He nods reluctantly, "All right. But I want you to listen to me right now. All the years that your mother and I spent raising you from that wide-eyed toddler running around on this farm to the man who is standing in front of me right now was for this moment." Martha has tears in her eyes. Jonathan finishes, "You do this, son. You make us proud."

Clark nods. He and Jonathan hug. When they pull away from each other, Martha and Clark share a long heartbroken look. Finally Martha comes forward and hugs him. Then she touches his face and turns away toward the truck. Clark walks away toward the barn.

Martha whispers to Jonathan, "Those meteors can kill him, Jonathan."

"I know that, sweetheart. But if we have faith in our son, then we can't let that faith waver now." Martha starts to cry and Jonathan holds her close.

Clark walks into the barn and sees Lana sitting nervously on the stairs. He comments, "We thought you already evacuated."

She turns to him fearfully. Clark asks worried, "Are you okay?"

"I'm scared."

"Lana, I know this meteor shower must bring up some painful memories for you. But this time is different. We have warning and we'll be safe."

"No, I'm not so sure. Clark, I don't know what's going to happen to me. I want you to know how grateful I am that you and Chloe trusted me with your secrets. I hope I can trust one to you."

He nods and looks at her shirt and notices the red stain near her wrist. He asks confused, "Is that blood?"

She looked in his eyes and swallowed, "Remember all those times that I asked you for an explanation, but you said you couldn't me one? That I had to trust you? Well, this time I need you to trust me."

He nods and waits patiently. She continues, "After I got home from shopping yesterday, Genevieve was in my apartment." She pauses and Clark looks on with concern. "She knew about the stones of Power, Clark, and she thought I had one. We started fighting and I must have blacked out for a minute." She choked back a fearful sob, "When I came to, I was sitting over her body."

Clark stares at her, stunned. "Well, it sounds like you were protecting yourself."

Lana shook her head and whispered fiercely, "Whatever it was, a woman is dead because of me."

Clark wants to reassure her but advises her, "Lana, my parents are about to leave right now. Go with them. You'll be safe."

She gets hysterical, "I can't."

"You have to."

"Clark, I need you to know... that whatever happens, I will never forget you."

"Lana, you're talking like we never gonna see each other again."

She walks to him and hugs him tightly. "I am so glad I have you as a friend." She kisses him on the cheek and backs away.

"I am, too." Lana tells him goodbye and leaves. Clark stares after her in shock and worry.

Countdown: 00:19:14.87 to 00:19:10.91

Lana is in Lex's study talking on her cell phone. "Chloe, even though you won't hear from me for a while, I want you to know that I'm okay."

Lex walks up behind her and reaches around to hang up the phone. "I thought we'd agreed you wouldn't talk to anyone."

"I have to let my friends know that I'm all right."

"Lana, I understand you not wanting them to worry, but you have to trust me." Lex walks toward his bookshelf. He hits a hidden button on the shelf and a panel opens.

Lana looks curious and asks, "What are you doing?"

He evades the question, "A chopper is being fueled to evacuate you to Metropolis where you'll stay at a hotel until your lawyer arrives. It's probably best not to travel with a murder weapon."

Lana gapes at him in confusion, "What murder weapon? Lex, I told you, I didn't kill her intentionally. Where did you find it?"

"It was in the hallway outside your apartment. It was embedded in the wall." He held it up and Lana paled. Lex had the stone that Clark needed. Lex turned to the vault and placed it on the counter. "I prepared a helicopter to…" As he talks, Lana discreetly texts Clark: Stone at Mansion.

Martha, Jonathan, and Shelby drive away from the Kent farm in the truck. As they get to the street, they almost collide with another truck that is coming towards them, and both trucks come to a stop. Jason is driving the other truck. He steps out weakly. His clothes are covered in dirt and his face is caked with dried blood. Concerned, Jonathan gets out of his truck quickly and asks, "Jason?"

Martha and Shelby get out of the truck. Martha pales in fear as Jason pulls out and cocks a shotgun, pointing it at the three. Martha gasps as Shelby growls protectively.

She looks at the dog and says, "Shelby, no."

He angrily tells them, "I'm having what you'd call a rough day."

Jonathan tries to talk, "W-Why don't you just calm down, son?"

Jason shouts, "Where is Clark?"

Martha and Jonathan are silent for a brief moment. He answers, "He's not here. Look, why don't you put down the shotgun, and we'll talk about it?" Irritated, Jason fires a bullet, shattering the windshield of the Kent's' truck. Everyone jumps in shock and Martha shrieks.

Jason demands, "Tell me where he is!" Shelby barks, frightened. Jonathan and Martha exchange another worried look and Jason blinks at them wearily.

Countdown: 00:14:24.49 to 00:14:20.54

Clark ran toward the caves and stopped when his phone beeped. He checked the message and noticed a text from Lana. It read: Stone at Mansion. He frowned and turned around and sped to the mansion.

He stopped in the study and quickly X-rayed the room. He noticed the bookshelf was lined with lead and walked to the shelf. He pried the door off and tossed it aside. He sees the stone and moves to pick it up. Several relics in the room light up with green kryptonite and he gasps. He starts losing his balance and quickly grabs the stone before he collapses to the ground.

Countdown: 00:01:26.04 to 00:01:22.08

Jason reaches for the shotgun and Martha runs over to him, stomping on his hand with her foot. Jason grabs her leg and trips her. She falls to the floor next to Jason and kicks him in the face. Jason then grabs the shotgun and gets to his knees, pressing the gun down over Martha's neck, choking her.

"Martha!"

Jonathan's hands are tied together behind him. He gets them under his legs and in front of him so that he can stand up. He grabs Jason away from Martha. Jason stands up and knocks Jonathan in the chest with the butt of the gun, accidentally firing another bullet into the ceiling. Jonathan punches Jason in the face, and Jason circles around to the counter, landing against it. Then Jonathan comes up behind him and wraps his hand bindings around Jason's throat in an attempt to choke him.

Jason grabs a glass bottle from the counter and shatters it over Jonathan's head. Martha screams as Jonathan backs away, and Jason whips Jonathan across the face with the gun, sending him to the floor. He lands next to Martha who clings to him as Jason points the gun at them both, cocking it He suddenly hears a roaring noise coming above the house. He looks up and swallows. The last thing he sees is the ceiling rushing at him.

Chloe ran into the Luthor study. She glanced around nervously and her stomach jumped in her throat. Clark was collapsed on the floor, bathed in a green glow from a secret room. She ran forward and grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the kryptonite. The glow died and he quickly woke up. He glanced at her and smiled weakly in thanks. He stood up and held out his hand, revealing the stone. She glanced up in relief and confusion. "Is that the last one? Why is there blood on it?" She sniffed and grew more confused, "That's Genevieve's blood."

Clark swallowed nervously and quickly nodded. "I'll tell you later. Right now, let's get to the caves. We'll unite the stones and get this quest over with." They started toward the door and Chloe stopped them.

She sniffed and whispered, "Clark, Lex is coming. Get the stone to the caves. I'll keep him busy and meet up with you later." Clark nodded and speed away out of the house. Chloe exhaled and prepared for Lex's blowup.

She faced the secret room and pretended to look shocked. She heard the door open and turned to face it. She saw Lex look at the broken door. He quickly ran over and noticed Chloe. She spoke up while he ran past her into the room, "Lex, I was looking for Lana, I got a call…"

"She's already left. What happened?"

She answered, "I don't know, I came in and saw this."

They walked to the entrance and Chloe sensed Lex's heart rate and anger swiftly rise. "You more than you're telling me, Chloe. Who did this?"

Chloe rolled her eyes and replied, "I just wanted to find Lana."

She flinched as he pounded the wall in anger. "You always seem to let your curiosity get the best of you. Now it's put you on dangerously thin ice." He spun around and gripped her arms tightly. She pretended to wince at the pain. "Now tell me where the element is!"

She answered in a scared voice, "Lex, I swear I don't know what happened." He scoffed and jerked away irritated. Chloe attempted to reason, "Lex, a meteor shower is on its way here, we have to go."

He demanded, "I'm going to find the stone even I have brave the meteors to get it." He stalked over and grabbed her arm forcefully. "And you're coming with me."

He pulled her along and she denied, "I don't know what you talking about."

Lana looks out the window wide-eyed. The helicopter rattles in all the turbulence as meteors fall all around them. One of the meteors hits the tail of the helicopter, and they go into a sharp spin as they plummet to the ground. The last thing she sees is the glass window of the helicopter shattering as it hits the ground

Lois drives Chloe's car out of Smallville. She pulls over on the side of the road and gets out of the car, running up a hill nearby to look at the city. She stumbles to her knees at the top of the hill and looks around with tears in her eyes. Before her, Smallville is in ruins. Fires burn everywhere as trails of smoke still linger in the air.

Lana slowly regained consciousness. She blinks and carefully. She looks up and pales at seeing the helicopter a few yards away. She tries to sit up and screams in agony. She glances down and notices shards of kryptonite in her stomach and right leg. She winces in pain as she carefully removes the rocks. She groans as she drags herself away from the smoking helicopter. Not far off, she sees a large mound of dirt in the middle of the smoking field and she crawls painfully toward it.

When she gets to the mound, she crawls up the side and looks over the edge. She sees that it is actually a crater of dirt in the center of which is an enormous black spaceship. Lana's mouth hangs open as she looks at it. "It can't be." Then a crack of white light shines on her face and begins to grow as the spaceship opens.

Clark walked into the stone room. He heard Chloe arguing with Lex about knowing more than she would tell him. He x-rayed to watch them and saw Chloe become annoyed and shove Lex into a wall, quickly knocking him out. Chloe walked up to him in the cave and said, "We are going to have a lot of covering to do once this is over, Clark. I don't think Lex will give up easily."

Clark sighed and nodded, "Well we do a couple telepathic friends. Maybe one of them can wipe his memory." She nodded and looked at the stone in Clark's hand.

She looked eagerly at him and excitedly asked, "Are you going to complete it and see what happens?"

He nodded seriously and said, "I was hoping you would be here."

He put the stone in place and watched as the symbols began to glow red, blue and yellow. The cracks lit up with a white glow and the stones formed one shield shaped light blue diamond. They watched in awe as the diamond slowly rose and stopped about shoulder height to Clark. He swallowed nervously and glanced at Chloe. She smiled and squeezed his hand in encouragement. He gave a small smile and said, "Let's see what happens." He reached out his other hand and grabbed the diamond. A bright light quickly enveloped them and the caves.

Both shouted aloud as an intense energy coursed through the small enclosure. It lasted for a few seconds and then an even more intense light flashed around them. They both gasped in relief as the light and energy quickly died down.

Chloe gasped as she appeared in another cave. She called out, "Clark?! Where are you? Where am I?" She looked around in desperation and walked around the cave. She stopped and focused on one of the walls. She narrowed her eyes and grew confused. The wall had kryptonian symbols bordering a large display of a DNA helix with highlighted genetic markers. Chloe spoke aloud, "That's mutated DNA." She looked across the wall and noticed a handprint sized indent in the rock. She bit her lip in thought and hesitantly placed her hand in the indentation. She squinted as a bright light blinded her.

Clark blinked and got his bearings. He glanced around in confusion and shock of not seeing Chloe. "Chloe!" He gave up and looked around. As far as the eye could see, he saw snow and ice covered ground. He sighed as he let go of the diamond and watched as it floated upward and the point positioned itself away from him. Clark was growing tired of all these puzzles, so he grabbed the stone and flung it as hard as he possibly could into the vast ice land. The diamond flew for a nearly a mile. Clark kept on an eye on where it went and watched it go straight down into the ice.


End file.
